


The Fight for Corona

by Logicallydreaming



Series: The Fight for Corona [1]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: 20 year old Varian, Brotherhood, F/M, Future Fic, Parent New Dream, Star Dust - Freeform, Varian has to find Cass, Varian has to get to the Spire, four years in the future, war in Corona
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:34:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 76,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23037169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Logicallydreaming/pseuds/Logicallydreaming
Summary: War has struck Corona and without the power of the Sundrop to protect her, Rapunzel must send her most trusted Engineer to find their last hope, Cassandra. What will Varian do? How will he find his long-gone friend? Will he be able to find her before Corona is destroyed for good?
Relationships: Cassandra & Varian (Disney: Tangled), Cassandra/Varian (Disney: Tangled), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Rapunzel, Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Series: The Fight for Corona [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1879048
Comments: 784
Kudos: 463





	1. Chapter 1

It wasn’t uncommon for Rapunzel to require his assistance. Being the Royal Engineer meant he was called upon whenever there was trouble and they looked to him to help find a solution. What was different was Rapunzel did not come to visit him herself. She sent Howard, one of the newer guards, to fetch him instead. 

He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he followed the young guard up into the palace. It must be serious, Rapunzel never passed up a chance to come to see what new invention he was working on. He knew the threat of war was looming over them and without the power of the magical Sundrop, Rapunzel wasn’t protected in the same way she was four years ago when she battled Zhan Tiri.

Don’t get him wrong, she was a strong, compassionate queen who knew her way around the frying pan and Eugene was one of the toughest Captains in Corona history. He also had some of the strongest guards fighting by his side. They had a strong defense around the kingdom. The last thing they needed was to rebuild the city again. So he was confident they could get out of this without much combat. 

Still, when she got the threat from King Trevor about war, she looked frightened. No doubt remembering the last war she fought in. He was a bit shook by it himself. At least this time they weren’t fighting one of their close friends. He was pretty sure the whole kingdom shared a dislike for the neighboring king. So if war did come, hopefully, it would be easier…

When he entered the Throne room, he saw Rapunzel and Eugene look up from their thrones, confused. She stood up and walked over to him, her bare feet patting against the cold stone floor. “Varian!” she smiled and pulled him into a friendly, warm hug. “It’s good to see you, but..why are you here?” she let out a small chuckle as she looked at the young man who now stood over her by more than a few inches. “Did one of your water tanks malfunction again? I told you before, you have permission to fix them and you don’t have to apologize-”

Varian looked at the queen with his own confusion, “Um, no...you summoned me?” he said, gesturing to Howard. “Sent a guard and everything…” he caught the eyes of Howard and tensed. “It’s a trap,” he said, seeing the same look in the eyes of the guard that he once saw reflected in his own. 

In an instant, Eugene was by his Wife’s side, “Howard.” Eugene said slowly, “Why did you bring Varian here? You are supposed to be on Prisoner duty.” the Captain of the Guards narrowed his eyes, “And walking the cells twice does not mean you can take a ten-minute break. Math apparently doesn’t work like that.”

Howard pulled his sword out and pointed it at the trio, “I’m worth more than dungeon duty! I found a group of people who can see my potential and my worth!” he shouted and as on cue, a familiar woman came crashing through the window, followed by two men. They landed on the glass and pointed their weapons at the three as well. 

“Lady Caine?” Rapunzel gasped in disbelief, grabbing Eugene’s arm as he pulled out his own sword. 

“Hello, Queenie.” She said as she strolled over towards the door, “Long time no see...well, no see of a lot of things I suppose since you left me and my crew to rot.” she growled, “You are no different than your father.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Rapunzel glared at the woman, “What do you want?” 

“Oh, I’m sure you do.” Caine rolled her eyes, “But I’m not the main course in this feast, Sweetie, I’m the tasty appetizer.” She smirked and opened the door. 

Varian’s mouth dropped as an alpaca wool wearing, man bun styled man stepped into the room. He was even still wearing the alchemy balls he made! Varian clenched his fists in anger at seeing him. 

“Manbun guy!” Eugene cried out, pointing the sword in his direction, causing the man in question to stop in his tracks and glare. 

“You know me, Eugene, I am Andrew, leader of the Separatists of Saporia!” He puffed his chest out in pride. “And this time, I have more than a handful of people on my side,” he smirked at them as he stepped more into the room and allowed his followers in. 

Varian felt his heart pound hard in his chest, they were surrounded and there was no way to alert the guards. In fact, it looked that some guards were on their side! 

“Traitors!” Eugene glared at his soldiers that he once thought of as friends. People he took under his wing and trained. He felt betrayed and used. 

Rapunzel seemed surprisingly calm but Varian knew that she was trying to keep face. He caught her free hand and gave it a squeeze, which she returned. “Let’s do this.” she murmured to the two. Eugene nodded and ran at Andrew with his sword raised. 

Andrew dodged out of the way, parrying the attack with his sword. “You’re better than last time, but I’m better as well.” he bragged, “While I was locked in your prison, I practiced three hours a day, so when we met again, you will remember the name “Andrew!” 

“You need to get yourself a girl.” Eugene replied, already done with the other man's theatrics, “And not use them to get to something in return, seriously, it changes a man for the better.” Eugene fought the Saporian, catching him a bit off guard by the sudden change of subject. He noticed his eyes drift over to Lady Caine, which caused the ex-thief to smirk. “Or, maybe you already found someone, and you practice three hours a day because you are unable to woo the lady.” 

Andrew swung his sword more wildly, growling, “I know what you are doing and it won’t work on me!”

“Are you sure? Cause it kind of did.” Eugene smirked, with a twinkle in his eyes. 

“Flynn Rider volume 38, disorientate opponent by talking about their love life...classic.” Varian laughed, before pulling out some of his Alchemy balls from his pocket and throwing them at the Saporian supporters. 

Rapunzel made a run to her throne and grabbed the frying pan that she kept there for emergencies such as this. 

“Aw, you think that will protect you? How cute.” Lady Caine said as she lifted her weapon to the queen.

“Oh, I know it will,” Rapunzel replied, putting on the game face Cass helped her perfect years ago. 

The three of them fought hard and long, but they were outnumbered and were soon overpowered. They were forced to their knees, weaponless, guarded by two of the goons that came in with Lady Caine. 

Andrew smirked at the three of them as he sat on the throne and looked at Howard. “Good job. Now, send word to King Trevor to let him know phase one is complete. Corona is ours.”

Rapunzel glared heatedly at the man before, “Our Guards will not let this happen, the people of Corona will rise up and fight you. Corona will never be yours.” 

“That’s where you are wrong.” Clementine snickered from behind Andrew, holding up a familiar purple potion. “You really need to tell your Blacksmith to lock the door after him.”

“That’s the mood changing potion!” Varian gasped.

“It is indeed.” Clementine confirmed and then held up the Memory wand, “And with a dip of this...they forget who they are and fall under our complete control!” she crackled

“Was that really all it took to perfect that?” Varian mumbled under his breath, his mind calculating, before being snapped out of it by an elbow in his side from Rapunzel. He looked down at her and noticed Pascal holding something colorful and familiar. It was the emergency Alchemy ball he made for her!

Making sure no one noticed, Pascal slipped them in his hand and gave him a nod. He waited for the opportune moment before throwing the balls which caused smoke to fill the room. He, Rapunzel, Pascal, and Eugene took a deep breath before the smoke reached them and grabbed the hands of each other as they ran from the room while the Saporians were blinded. 

They ran down the halls, but there were guards everywhere. They looked the same, nothing about their mood seemed different other than them wanting to hunt them down and kill them. They were being controlled somehow and Varian couldn’t understand how the wand and potion could do that. It didn’t make sense...unless they got their hands on the…

“Oh no.” Varian gasped, stopping in his steps, causing Rapunzel and Eugene to stop as well. 

“Oh no? What do you mean oh no?” Eugene exclaimed, “is it only now just sinking in that Corona is being attacked??”

Varian glared at the Captain and then looked at Rapunzel, “I think I figured out how they are controlling the Guards….the Mind Trap!” he said, causing her to pale at the name of it.

“But that should only work on the Brotherhood…” she pointed out looking confused, but also scared. 

“Uh, Guys?” Eugene pointed to a now memory erased and mind-controlled Stan that was running at them. 

The three of them started to run again towards the treasury where King Herz Der Sonne's journal was locked away. Varian panted as they ran and started to regret not accepting the offer Eugene gave him about joining the guards for warm-ups. 

“I think if they somehow isolated the mind control element in the Mind Trap, plus the mixture of the mood serum and the memory wand...they..they could have succeeded in a mind control potion and I don’t know if I’d be able to reverse it...not without a sample of the Mind Trap.” He explained as they ran into the treasury and locked the door behind them. 

Rapunzel let out a sigh, as she grabbed the journal and ran her hand over it. She closed her eyes before turning to Varian and holding out the journal for him to take. “Luckily for you...the pieces of the Mind Trap were saved.” 

Varian took the journal and slipped it into his bag. His eyes widened with excitement at the idea of examining the artifact, before a flash of his father being mind-controlled popped up, causing his excitement to die quickly. He needed to protect all those who were and will be controlled. He couldn’t add an electric plate to every guard’s helmet. “Great, where is it?” He asked, looking around the room.

“At the Spire,” she said walking over to Eugene, taking his hand. They gazed at each other and seemed to have a silent argument before he finally gave in and looked back at Varian. 

“Varian, we can’t leave Corona. I owe it to my people to be there for them and protect them.” She walked over to Varian and placed it on his shoulder. “Varian, you must go to the Spire. Find a way to fix this…” 

Varian felt his heart quicken at that and looked between the two of them in shock, “No, no you can’t stay...what about…?” he trailed off, as Eugene walked over and wrapped his arm around Rapunzel’s waist. 

“She’s safe.” Eugene said, “She’s with her grandparents and they are visiting the kingdom of Avalor.” 

“We’ll send word to make sure they stay away.” Rapunzel took a deep breath, thinking about her child being tangled in all this. “Varian.” she looked him in the eyes, “I don’t think we can take on all of them alone...and if King Trevor is involved, that means Andrew and Lady Caine have two armies at their disposal.” 

Varian felt his brain wheeling before he realized what she meant. “You want me to get..?”

“Yes.” She agreed, standing up straight. “It’s time to bring Cassandra home.” 

Varian felt his heart pick up the pace at the mention of the older woman that he hadn’t seen in 4 years. It was odd, it’s been so long since he’s heard from her and even longer since he’s seen her, but his heart still raced at the thought of her. Just the mention of her name made his mind switch back to his 14-year-old self. No other girl has ever made him feel like this. Sure, there were a few that turned their head to him and he turned his head in return. But no one could ever fill the hole that was meant for Cass… 

He shook his head, he was twenty now, not some teenager with a silly crush. He needed to focus on the task at hand. He looked up at Rapunzel with a look of determination and nodded. “You can count on me.”

She smiled at him and hugged him, “I know...there is no one else I would trust to get her back.” she said, causing Eugene to cough loudly, “Do you really think she’d listen to you?” Rapunzel teased. 

“She might!” 

“Ahuh, sure.”

“Um, guys?” Varian said, breaking up the married couple before they got caught up in being too cute for him to take. “What do I do once I get there? I can’t go to my lab...I can’t go home. I can’t risk my dad getting hurt, not again.” 

Eugene was the one to walk over to him this time and smiled at him, “Rally as many people as you can. Go find Lance, he will take you in and help you with whatever you need.” 

At the mention of Lance, Varian felt mixed feelings. On one hand, it would be good to see him again, on the other...he couldn’t examine the stone there! Lance and the girls will get in the way!

“That’s a good idea, Pascal!” Rapunzel looked at the Chameleon that sat on her shoulder who was miming Varian.

“Varian.” she looked up at her friend, “Once they realize you're gone they are going to look for you.” 

“Yeah, and the blue streak in your hair is a bit of a give away of who you are.” Eugene pointed out, “You’re going to have to hide it.” 

Rapunzel let her eyes wander the room before spotting an old brown cloak. It’s not exactly a treasure but it will do nicely of what she had planned. She walked over to the Alchemist and wrapped it around him, pulling the hood up over his head and smiling when it covered his streak perfectly. “Use the maps to get out, we’ll distract them while you escape.” she hugged him one last time before parting, “You got this, Varian, I believe in you.” She said, before taking Eugene’s hand. 

“Good luck, kid.” Eugene saluted at him before pulling his wife and the frog out of the room. 

Varian took a deep breath and pulled the lever to open up the secret passage. “You too,” he whispered before jumping down the hatch.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a few days since he left Corona, and news traveled quickly of the attack and takeover of the Saporians. It caused people of the neighboring kingdoms to panic and fear that they were next. Because of that, they weren't too friendly to strangers coming to their towns and asking questions.

"Excuse me?" He asked a man in a Green cloak and a sheriff badge on his chest. 

The man turned around and looked at the shorter man with a raised eyebrow. 

"Ah, hi." Varian cleared his throat, "I was wondering if you know anyone by the name of Cassandra?"

"Who's asking?" A girl about a year younger than him came up behind the Sheriff, sporting a deputy badge and braids. 

"A friend of hers." He said softly, not wanting to bring any attention to himself. 

She narrowed her eyes and circled him, "why are you covering your face, then?" 

He took a deep breath, hoping he could trust them. "Because I'm from Corona, and Queen Rapunzel needs help." 

The Deputy rolled her eyes at the name and looked at the Sheriff, wanting to know what he thought of the outsider. 

The Sheriff stared at the young man before nodding. "Terrible thing that happened to Corona." He finally spoke. "When Cassandra comes here, she usually goes over to Goat's Milk."

"Thank you, thank you so much!" Varian shook the man's hand, thankful to finally have a lead. He grabbed the reins of his horse and took off running down a random street, only to sheepishly come back a moment later. "Which...which way is that?" Causing them to point with rolled eyes.

"Right..thank you." He nodded and hopped onto his horse to look for the tavern. 

"What a strange, kid." The Sheriff said to him to Deputy, "Come along, Vex, we have criminals to stop."

\--

It turns out Cass used to come to Vardaros quite often in her travels. She enjoyed the danger and thrill of the city. It was a town full of criminals, so she didn't feel like an outcast or have the looks of judgment thrown her way whenever she passed someone who knew who she was and what she did. This was a safe place for her.

Varian leaped off his horse, Eden, and patted her snout gently. "Cass, supposedly, comes here a lot when she's in town. Hopefully, we can find out where she is." He grabbed Ruddiger and sat him on Eden's back with a stern gaze. "This place isn't safe, so both of you will stay here...please?" 

Ruddiger cocked his head at Varian before curling up on the horse's back to take a nap. Varian let out a sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was to go looking for a missing raccoon. 

He pulled his hood to cover his face more before entering the tavern. If he were expecting Snuggly Duckling, he would have been wrong. This was so much worse, the ruffians were taller, bigger, and had sharper pointier weapons. It made him want to turn right back around and hide, but he knew he needed to do this. He needed to find Cass so they could go to the Spire and save Corona. 

He placed his hand on one of his Alchemy balls, before moving it to the dagger his father gave him. If he used Alchemy, it would give him away. Though he wasn't comfortable with the dagger, he at least knew how to use it thanks to his father showing him. It was one of their bonding moments. He showed him Alchemy, and his father taught him how to defend himself...it was a fair trade. 

He looked around the room before walking up to the bar and sitting on a stool. The Bartender was a muscular woman with arms covered in barbed wire, skulls, and daisy tattoos. Varian looked at the detail with surprise, being around Rapunzel made him see the art and beauty in all things. It was a good ice breaker..he hoped. 

"Those are nice tattoos." Varian complimented, which caused the Bartender to stop in her tracks and look at the stranger in the hood. 

She narrowed her eyes at him and slammed her hands on the bar counter, leaning her face into his. "What of it?" 

Varian leaned back at the sudden intrusion of his personal space. He held his hands up in defense. "They are nice, well detailed. The skulls look realistic…" 

She looked him up and down before leaning back. She grabbed a mug of what looked like beer and slid it to Varian. "My daddy did them when I was younger. He was an artist." She bragged with pride. 

"Well, he seemed to be a very good one." Varian took a sip of the drink and had to stop himself from coughing from how strong it was. It wasn't his usual hot cocoa. He set the mug down, pushing it away from him subtly, and leaned on the counter. 

"I was wondering if you can help me." He spoke to the Bartender, "I'm looking for an old friend of mine. Apparently, she comes here often." 

The woman on the other side of the bar looked around the tavern and then back at Varian like was crazy. "Most of the people here never go home. Men, women, sometimes even children, take comfort in my tavern."

"Yes, but this is someone who travels often...Cassandra," he said softly, observing the Bartender, hoping to see recognition. 

The Bartender broke out in a wide grin, "Ah! Cass the Bass! Yes, she's a regular when she's in town. It usually brings me some sort of trinket from the last place she explored. And fresh fish! I tell you, that treat is a hit with my customers!" she exclaimed and shook her head, fondly, "What a fantastic woman." 

Varian felt his face break out in a broad smile before he could help it. He was thankful that the hood covered his whole face, or he would have given himself away. 

"Where can I find her?" He asked the woman, hoping that Cass wasn't too far away. 

The woman's face went from happy to severe in a second, and she glared down at the small man. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because I need her help." He spoke honestly, "I need her to help save my home." 

The Bartender hummed in thought before smirking at the boy. "Drink that whole mug, and I will tell you where she is." 

Varian looked at the drink with disgust but agreed. "You better write it down." He told her, causing her to laugh at him and agree. 

He took the mug, took one small sip, and held back another cough. This isn't going to go very quickly if he just took sips he realized. So he took the mug and started to gulp it down. 

His throat was on fire, but he had to do this. For Rapunzel, for Corona, for Cass…

Finally, when he was done, he set the mug down and looked at the woman in front of him, "we had a deal?" He hiccuped, which caused the woman to laugh. 

"Alright, kid, you've earned it." She wrote down instructions on how to get to Cass and slid it across the counter to him. 

"Thankaroo." He slurred as he stuffed it in his pocket. He got off the stool, but things were swaying back and forth for him. It was like he was on a ship, and he was getting seasick. He tried to walk to the door, but he couldn't seem to walk in a straight line. He needed to leave. He needed to find Cassandra! He tried again, only to walk right into a big, angry-looking man. He opened his mouth to apologize only to vomit all over the man. 

The man stood up and looked down at the shorter man with disgust. "You are going to pay for that, little shrimp." 

Varian tried to reply, but the room was spinning too much, and the man in front of him was suddenly three. ''Was this how Shorty felt?'' He wondered. 

The man pulled Varian's hood back and revealed his long dark hair, but most importantly, his streak. The man smirked at the sight of it and nodded to his friends, "Look what we have here, fellas? The Saporians are looking for you..might give a nice reward if we turn you in." He grinned wickedly at the young Alchemist. 

The Bartender gasped when she saw the boy. This must have been the ''Varian'' Cass told her about. She didn't feel this emotion often, but she felt guilty for making the young man drink her hard stuff. But she had to know if he was sincere and if he could be trusted. 

She jumped over the counter and tapped the big man on the shoulder with a glare. "I have a rule about no one ratting each other out! You know this, Greg!" She cracked her knuckles, "Release him now, or you deal with me." 

Greg looked at the Bartender and then the drunk kid in his hands before setting him down. He glared at the kid before storming towards the washroom to clean up. 

Varian tried to head to the door again but stumbled. The Bartender grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Come on, lightweight, you're staying here for the night." 

"ButCass…" he slurred, following her regardless. 

"Can wait until morning." She moved him to her private room in the back and let him lay down on the bed. "Now sleep, you need it." 

"Thank you." He mumbled before slipping into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

_Everything was dark, but it felt like he was floating...or was he falling? It was hard to tell. His eyes felt like they had heavyweights keeping them shut. No matter how he tried, he could not open them._

_His heart pounded in his chest, and his breath quickened in panic. What was going on? Where was he? He reached his arms out, flailing them around, searching for something to grab onto, but all he found was open air. He opened his mouth to scream for help, but no sound left him. He was defenseless._

_Finally, after what felt like hours, he landed on a soft surface, and his eyes finally were able to open. He took deep calming breaths and slowly got to his feet. He was okay...but where was he?_

_He looked around his surroundings and felt his breath hitch as fear filled him once more._

_Bright, vibrant colors filled his vision, as well as odd and strange looking creatures—the Lost Realm._

_On instinct, his hand reached up to his hair, and he felt relieved when he didn't find the snake attached to his head._

_Yet._

_He needed to get out of here before the transformation started! He glanced around and saw three paths with arrows point in different directions. He approached the sign, hoping to know which way was which, but all the writing was faded away. Only a bit of chipped paint was left to tell him that words were once there._

_He lacked facts and strategy. He needed to find a way home, but in a world where there is no logic...how, could he find a logical solution to get out?_

_"Think like Lance." He murmured to himself. "Think like Lance."_

_He closed his eyes before picking a random path and started to run down the bright pink path. He ran and ran only to end up right where he began. He turned and ran down the green path, and the results were the same._

_He felt tears of frustration and panic threaten in the back of his eyes, but he quickly rubbed them away. He will get out of here._

_He turned to the final path and started to approach it slowly. This path was different; it was a sickly, orangey, yellow color that looked familiar. It looked like it was initially a liquid that turned solid. He bent down and knocked on it to confirm his suspicions. It was human-made. It was similar to the chemical reactions he's done before..._

_He kept down the path; all of it seemed so similar to him..._

_He let out a gasp and took a step back, no! It couldn't be!_

_There, trapped inside an Amber, was all of Corona. All of the buildings, the plants, even the palace was all covered._

_As he walked closer into the kingdom, he saw Coronans trapped, Uncle Monty, Atila, Xavier...but then to his horror he saw Rapunzel and Eugene trapped, hugging each other, with fear laced on their faces._

_He shook his head and backed away, only to bump into one with Lance and the girls. His breathing became heavy, and tears were streaming down his cheeks._

_He turned to run away, but there was Cassandra, trapped, and looking down at him with such hatred…_

_He turned to go down the path he came from but was stopped in his tracks once more. In the middle of the road, was his father. Trapped in the Amber just like he was all those years ago._

_"No! Dad!" He was alone, everyone was trapped, and it was all his fault._

_He fell to his knees and sobbed harder. It was all his fault._

_"Varian"_

_He was a monster_

_"Varian"_

_He was the one who should have been trapped._

_"Varian"_

_Finally, he looked up at the sound of his name. But he didn't see anyone? He wiped his eyes and looked around._

_"Varian."_

_He heard it again and slowly stood on his feet. He looked around, looking for the source of the voice._

_"Varian"_

_In a desperate need to find who was calling for him, he started to run in the direction of the voice._

_"Varian!"_

_He didn't stop running, the closer he got to the voice, the more difficult it became to run. He looked down and saw the Amber sticking to his feet, trying to latch onto him. If he stopped, he would be trapped too._

_"Varian, come here."_

_He forced himself to keep going until finally, he found himself in front of a large mirror. He tried to gaze into it, but the glass was covered in dust, and he couldn't quite make out his image. He reached his hand up to wipe the dust away, but he was too late. He looked down as he was encased in the Amber, trapped like everyone else in the kingdom._

_"Varian...Stardust…."_

\--

He didn't know how long he was asleep or even what day it was. All he knew was his head was killing him, and he never wanted to leave his bed ever again. Why did people insist on doing this to themselves? It doesn't seem worth it just to drink a throat burning drink that turned you into an idiot. 

He slowly opened his eyes and squinted at the light shining right in his face with a groan—stupid sun. 

He rubbed his aching head as his mind went back to his dream. It's been a while since he had a nightmare so bad. It wasn't uncommon for him to have them, but this one felt different. Who was the voice that was calling for him?

He shook it off and rubbed his eyes to get the sleep out of them. It was just a dream, and he didn't have time to focus on whatever his subconscious was trying to tell him.

Little by little, he got himself out of bed and in a standing position. Where was he? He looked around the room, not recognizing it. It's not his bedroom, and he didn't remember checking into an inn last night. 

He slowly walked over to the door and peeked out. Oh, he was in the Goat's Milk still. He walked back into the room as he remembered the events that happened the night before. He was so embarrassed by his behavior. He was usually better than that. 

He grabbed his cloak and put it on. He then reached in his pocket and sighed in relief to see the instructions to find Cass was still there. 

He slipped the hood over his head as he walked out of the room and into the surprisingly busy tavern. It seemed that business was active all day long. 

"Ah! Morning sleeping beauty!" The bartender grinned at him. "Have a night rest?" 

All he could get out was a "Yeah" and a shrug of his shoulders. He cleared his throat and looked up at her, "thank you for letting me spend the night." He finally could get out. 

She shrugged, "Any pal of Cassandra's is a pal of mine." She wrapped her arm around his shoulders, "now let's get some food in you, buttercup." 

"I'm Varian, by the way." he introduced himself to the lady who has been very kind to him.

"Louisa." She smiled at him, "But everyone calls me Lou." 

"Nice to meet you, Lou." He murmured as he sat at the stool where she had a plate of food waiting for him. 

"You too, Varian." She grinned at him, "Also, if there is anything you need to help with the situation in Corona, you come for me, alright?" She lowered her voice and looked at him seriously. 

He nodded and smiled at her, "Actually, the queen asked me to rally people to help…"

"Say no more." Lou held her hand up, "Vardaros has changed, and so has the people." As she said that there was a sound of broken glass and yelling, "Well, most of us... I'm sure I can find a few people to help. Just have Cass send Owl to me to let me know where and when you need us."

Varian felt an overwhelming amount of gratitude for the woman, she may look like she could crush you with her bare hands, but her heart was soft and big. "Thank you." He murmured to her, not knowing how else to express how thankful he was. 

"Eat up." She winked at him before going to the men to stop the fight. It was a family place during the day; roughhousing was for later. 

As he ate, he pulled out his map and the note she gave him. "Okay, where are you, Cassie?" He mumbled under his breath. He rubbed his head with a groan, it was hard to focus with the splitting headache, but he had to. He needed to find her. 

Slowly but surely, he mapped out a route to find Cass. He smiled with satisfaction and finished the rest of the meal. 

\---

With a few apples in a satchel, Varian said goodbye to Lou and went to find his animal friends. 

He looked around and frowned when he didn't see them. "Great." He mumbled, letting out a sigh in frustration. He needed to get to Cass, but now he had to find his mode of transportation first. He feared this would happen. 

He wandered the streets of Vardaros, eyes wandering every which way for his horse and raccoon. "Ruddiger?" He called "Eden?" 

Suddenly, in the distance, he heard the noise of a horse struggling and the chirping of a raccoon. "Eden! Ruddiger!" He gasped and ran in that direction. 

"You can't just keep stealing things that aren't yours, Weasel." Vex said, pointing her sword at the thief, "Vardaros has changed, you either change with it or get out of this town." 

Captain Quaid kept a grip on the rope he had just lassoed around Weasel and smiled at her words. 

Varian slowly approached and sighed in relief, seeing Eden and Ruddiger. "There you guys are." He murmured and gave each of them an apple. 

"Thank you." He told the sheriff and Deputy, which caused them to shrug. 

"Whatever," Vex said as they gathered Weasel up and headed to the town's jail. 

Varian made sure all his supplies were still there before mounting the horse. He smiled when Rudigger settled on his shoulders, taking comfort in the familiar feeling. He took one last look at Vardaros before setting out of the town. 

"I don't know about you, but I've had enough of this town." He mumbled to his animal friends, who nodded in agreement. 

He patted the horse's neck and headed into the direction of the Forest of No Return.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone for the support of this story and of my writing. It's due to your positive feedback and support I am able to find the motive I need to continue. So thank you so much. 
> 
> I know this chapter is short, but I promise there will be more very soon!

After a week of traveling, Varian and his animal companions finally came upon where the Forest of No Return was supposed to be. Or so his map says. He could see trees from afar but something was off.

Varian pulled the reins on Eden to get her to stop before leaping down so he could survey the area. He's heard stories of the Forest of No Return. The name was from the fact that no one had ever returned from going inside. Well, except Adira and his friends. 

He remembered sitting with Rapunzel, Eugene, and Lance as they told him all about their travels and all they had seen. He had felt a little jealous at the time...but now that he's experiencing it himself? He was a bit glad he missed out on that trip. 

True, he liked to study and learn about new things. The thrill of adventure made his skin tingle with excitement, but he also enjoyed the snug, isolation of his lab. It brought him comfort. His lab was his space to be himself and relax in. Being out in the open, alone without the distractions of his experiments, it caused his mind to wander to dark places and memories he wished he could forget. He thought he was doing better, but with the new nightmares that plagued his sleep...

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He could do this. He had Ruddiger and Eden, and he had his alchemy supplies...all that is missing is the map that is supposed to help navigate him through, but he was sure it wasn't too bad. If his friends could get through, so can he!

"Where is the swamp that covered the entrance?" he mumbled under his breath, looking around but seeing nothing but vibrant long meadows all around. It even had bright red flowers that just made him want to lay down and nap for days...poppies!! He glared at the offending plant. He was already tired after weeks of traveling, but the last thing he needed was to be induced to sleep by a flower.

"I can do this," he whispered as he felt Ruddiger jump onto his shoulders and wrap his tail around his neck to give him some comfort. He petted the raccoon's head gently and grabbed Eden's reins. "Here we go." 

_"There's a journey ahead,"_

he started to sing as he entered the field,

_"A journey ahead, to bring back the moon to lighten the night!"_

he lifted his gloved hand to his nose to make sure he wouldn't breathe in the pollen from the offending flower. 

Finally, after what seemed like hours, they crossed the meadow and were at the entrance of the forest. Varian took a deep breath and let it out slowly, taking in the fresh, pollen-less air. 

_"There's a journey ahead."_

he sang again as they stood there, staring into the dark, mysterious forest. He licked his lips nervously before pushing his shoulders back, he could do this.

_"to bring back the moon to help us win this fight!"_

he pulled on the horse's reins once more and guided her inside. 

He took out a couple of his beakers from his bag and tied it to the end of a stick, hoping to use the chemical reactions as a source of light. He held it up in front of him and felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the name "Forest of No Return" written on the tree.  
He ran his hand over it and looked around. He felt his breath leave him when he saw the entrance they had just gone through disappearing right before his eyes. 

He took out his compass in hopes that it would help him find his way through the dark forest.

_"There's a journey ahead,"_

he tapped the compass, trying to get it to stop spinning, but it only turned faster,

_"A long, dangerous journey."_

He closed his eyes and let out a growl of frustration as it just kept spinning. He preferred to have a map or some sort of guidance to follow, but in a place like the Forest of No Return, he was going to be forced out of his comfort zone and just act on impulse. 

_"I have to complete this big maze, or I'll be stuck here for days"_

He sang, throwing his head up to look for any sign or direction to follow, but only saw trees.

_"Please! I have a journey ahead!"_

Taking a deep breath, he leaped onto Eden's back and looked at the different paths. After thinking for a moment, he decided to listen to his gut and follow the one on the right with a small smooth road. 

Ever since the incident, when he was younger, he tried to think things through before running headfirst into things. His emotions got the best of him and turned him into a monster. A monster he's been fighting and running from ever since. 

_"For so long I have been running,"_

Eden jumped over a large blue flower with big, sharp-looking teeth that snapped up right after she landed safely on the other side. He let out a laugh of relief and petted Eden gently on the neck.

_"Aching to find my way home,"_

_"But a voice deep inside just keeps mocking with snide"_

He sang, moving his staff left and right, looking for any sign of a clearing or a way out.

_"That I will forever be alone."_

Riding a little farther, he heard the sound of a rush of a river and moved Eden in that direction. Maybe they could follow the river to a way out of there? 

_"In the way that I feel."_

he urged the horse to go faster, causing her to jump over vines and logs. Or things he assumed were vines and logs. He didn't want to dwell on it.

_"In the way that I think,"_

They were almost there! He could feel the air getting colder, and the air seemed to have more moisture in it.

_"OH! No one sees me as real! My past is dried with ink..."_

He reached where the water was supposed to be and frowned when he found nothing there. He felt Ruddiger crawl on top of his head, looking around.

_"The more that I think, my spirit just sinks…"_

_"Will I prove I belong? To have my face close to the sun?"_

he reached up and pulled Ruddiger down to sit in front of him, not wanting the raccoon to get hurt. He hopped off the horse to look around, hoping for another clue or sign to find his way out.

_"Sure, I'm no moon, but there are stars that shine too…"_

He trailed off, the path had disappeared, and he, Eden, and Ruddiger were lost.

Clenching his fists with anger and frustration, he bowed his head as he sang

_"With a kingdom to save, oh, how can I be brave?"_

he sniffed, after all that happened in the last few weeks, Varian suddenly felt overwhelmed and he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks. 

_"With fear of who's still alive or who's dead..?"_

his voice hitched as he sang that part before wiping his eyes and looking up at the big bushy trees that seemed just to keep getting bigger and bigger.

_"There's a journey ahead."_

with that final note, he and his animal friends were sucked into a land pit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote the song Varian sang, I hope you all like it. It is not at all how I originally wrote it. I kept changing it as I wrote lol 
> 
> Thank you again for reading!!


	5. Chapter 5

_"Varian!"_

_His heart pounded as he was lead to the mirror. Always the mirror._

_"Varian!!"_

_He lifted his hand to wipe the dust off when..._

\---

"Varian." He felt someone shake him, and he groggily let out a groan in annoyance. His dream always lead him to the same place, and he knew that looking into that mirror is important, but why? Why was it important?? 

"Varian, son of Quirin." The voice shook him one last time before he slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, only to be greeted by the half red face of Adira. 

In an instant, he sat up and grinned, "Adira!" He opened his arms, about to hug her, but quickly let them fall, knowing that she didn't like to be touched. "What..?" he trailed off, feeling something sticky and wet seeping into his clothes. He touched it with his gloved hand and brought it to his nose only to turn and gag from the stench. 

"Druips." Adira said, pointing above her, "they nest in the highest part of the trees and then swing down on their long tails to gobble up their prey. You." She walked over to the tree and carved a circle on it. 

"What? But how? I was...what..?" He gasped, still not comprehending, slowly getting to his feet with the help of Eden. 

"Oh, you fell through a land pit and were instantly attacked. I saved you." She turned back to him, "You're welcome." 

"Oh, um, thank you." He scratched the back of his head only to wince when feeling the same slime on his head. 

She took out her map and hummed to herself, "Alright. Follow me, Hairstripe." 

"Wait. shouldn't I get cleaned off first?" He gestured to himself, causing her to frown and shake her head. 

"It's best not to waste any time." She looked up at the trees again and closed her eyes, "The forest has changed, it's more dangerous." She turned to look at Varian again, "Which means you were stupid to come here alone." She shook her head, "fortunately, I found you so that I can take you out of the Forest of No Return. And I don't have laryngitis this time!" She pumped her fists in the air as she leads him down a pathway. 

He stayed where he was for a moment, before grabbing Eden's reins and followed the zealous member of the brotherhood. 

\---

It was surprisingly quiet as they walked. Now and then, Adira would stop him and point him in a new direction, but she stayed silent. Not even a single story of how she defeated the Druip and saved his life. He was worried. 

"So, Adira…" he started, watching the woman in front of him. "How is the dark kingdom?" 

"Very well, King Edmund brought peace and prosperity to the kingdom." She cut a vine with her sword, stopped in her tracks, looked at her map before going in a different direction. 

"Are you okay?" He asked her, shifting his bag on his shoulder. "You seem quiet." 

She eyed him and then looked in front of her again, "I'm waiting."

"For what?" He asked, baffled, causing her to roll her eyes and keep walking down the path the map told her. 

He fidgeted with his bag strap and let out a sigh, "Corona was overthrown." He kicked a stone, only to jump back when it hissed at him. 

"I know this." She said as they continued. 

He nodded and swallowed hard, "I'm nervous about what will happen when I return...what I will find." He finally voiced out loud, swallowing hard. "What everyone will think of me…"

"Is that why you broke out in song?" she turned to look at Varian, "You have a nice voice." She complimented, "I too have a nice voice, but I don't sing my feelings." 

He chuckled awkwardly, feeling embarrassed that she heard that. He shrugged, "It's a Corona thing." 

She stopped and pulled Varian away from a purple bush with green flowers. "Wahrheitsblume." She pointed at it, "the Truth Flower, if you are close to it, you have to tell the truth if you want to or not." 

"Oh! I heard about this! It is the main ingredient for my truth serum, incredibly hard to harvest." He looked closer to it, excited, "I caused chaos with it, and I haven't been able to recover from the guilt." He covered his mouth quickly. 

Adira looked at the young man and grabbed Eden's reins from him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and pushed him away from the plant. 

After a few minutes have passed and the awkwardness subsided, he looked at Adira. "I'm sure you are wondering why I'm here." 

"Not really." She looked down at him, "I know what happened because your father asked me to watch out for you. He was worried, especially when Old Corona was attacked."

Varian stopped in his tracks, his breathing getting heavier as he realized that not only did they take Corona but also his village, his home. "Is...is he okay?" He asked, a tremble in his voice. If something happened to his dad...well, there was nothing that could stop him from killing Andrew. People saw him as the dark, former villain, after all, they shouldn't be surprised if he--

Adira grabbed him again and moved him away from a black flower with red thorns. Those tend to amplify fear, guilt, and negative emotions, and from the look on the man's face, she knew it was best he stayed away from those. 

"Your father has been captured. Since you were gone, he is the only one that knew how to craft those water tanks of yours." She walked ahead of him, her hands behind her back. "That is why King Blonde Beard agreed to Manbun's plan." 

"He wanted my tanks?" He asked surprised and a little flattered that a king wanted to go to war over hot, running water, but also disgusted that they took his dad.

She nodded, "In exchange, the Saporians have access to his army and armory." She stopped and turned to face him suddenly, causing him to stumble back. "They may be the face of this fight, but there is something more dark and evil pulling the strings of this attack. Let out all your feelings now, because you don't want them to weigh you down when it is time to face your destiny." She pulled back a wall of vines and showed the missing swamp. 

She walked over to a large tree and started to chop it down so they could get across. 

"Adira…" he trailed off and then looked up at her, "Will you help me fight to set Corona free?" 

"That is what I was waiting for." She turned to him and smiled proudly, "and yes." 

He broke out in a grin and helped Eden and Ruddiger onto the makeshift bridge. "Thank you, Adira."

"I know. I'm awesome. Go me!" She cheered, "tell Short Hair I said, "hi." 

Varian watched as the woman turned around and back into the Forest of No Return. His aunt was sure something.

He turned and jumped up on the tree, following his animal friends. He was one step closer to finding Cass. He sniffed himself and winced. 

After a good bath, of course.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit A/N: So It was pointed out to me there was a continuity error, so I edited the end just a little bit so it will flow better. Enjoy!

It was cold. Too cold for Varian's liking and to his dread, it was going to get colder the farther he traveled. He should have borrowed a balloon.

He pulled his cloak closer to himself as Ruddiger snuggled into his side, sound asleep. He knew he should be following the raccoon's example, but he just couldn't. It's been over a month since he was last in Corona, and he was going insane with worry for his father and his friends. Also, the strange dreams he kept having, he knew they meant something...but what??

He rubbed his tired eyes and forced himself to look at the map, lit by the rising sun. "Okay, so if I go here…" he mumbled under his breath, tracing a path with his finger, "I should reach this….ha!" He exclaimed, accidentally startling Ruddiger and Eden awake.

He jumped to his feet and poured the leftover water from the night before onto the dying fire. "Okay, if we leave right now..." he scrambled around, picking up different things and packing them into his bag, "we should reach Cass by noon!"

Eden and Ruddiger shared a look before looking at their human friend. Slowly, they got up and stretched their legs, before walking up to Varian. Their human smiled and tied his baggage to the horse, patting her neck gently in thanks.

Ruddiger jumped onto Varian's shoulders and curled his tail around his neck. He let out a little chirp to let Varian know he was ready to go, nuzzling his head against his cheek.

Varian let out a laugh and petted the raccoon affectionately. "Alright, time to go." He murmured, lifting his hood over his head once more and jumping onto Eden.

He directed her in the right direction, and she started to gallop across the forest floor. Her hooves were beating out a rhythm in time with his heart. He felt a grin slowly grow on his face as the wind pushed his hood back. He closed his eyes. It felt nice to have the wind in his hair.

"There's a journey ahead!" He started to sing as they went faster, "a journey ahead!"

He spotted a creek in front of them, and he lowered himself close to Eden as she went faster. "my determination is fed!"

Ruddiger held on tightly and buried his face in Varian's cloak as Eden jumped over the creek and landed on the other side, still running.

"My heart is aglow!" He slowed her down a little and hugged Ruddiger with a laugh.

"Long have I waited to see where I'm fated to go!" He held his arms out as they left the forest, onto a top of a hill.

Eden stopped as Varian looked around at the beautiful view. He let out a breath before singing, "There's a journey ahead!"

He flicked the reins and Eden started to run once more, "So let's go!" He held the note as they got closer to their destination.

\--

"Okay." Varian mumbled as he looked at the map through his goggles, "this is where the map leads me...but…" he lowered the map to look at the empty valley. "Nothing is here." He took off his goggles and rubbed his eyes in frustration. He grabbed Eden's hair and buried his face into it. He felt all hope drain from within him, and he was lost.

Ruddiger nuzzled his face into Varian's back, trying to comfort the young man, before sneaking his way through his arms and snuggling onto his lap. Varian lifted his hand and petted the raccoon and let out a sigh, moving his face away. "What would Rapunzel do at a time like this?" He mumbled to himself.

"Look for a positive when there is none." He answered out loud and let his eyes wander the valley of nothingness. "Okay... it's pretty out here...and maybe she is somewhere hidden! It is Cass, after all!"

He straightened himself up and had Eden continue into the valley. "We have to find a hidden door or something like that." He mumbled out loud, his eyes moving quickly, searching for any clues.

They were almost clear across the valley when hidden behind a hill was a small village. "I knew it!" He pumped his fist.

Jumping off the horse, he pulled his hood up once more. "Stay close," he murmured to the horse and raccoon.

Slowly they entered the village, but something was off. There were no people.

The emptiness gave off an eerie feeling and put him on edge. He had his hand on his Alchemy balls, waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows and attack.  
He looked at Eden and gave her a nod, signaling to stay quiet as they walked through the empty buildings and houses.

This village looked like it was just like his once. Now, there were farms left to wither away, dust and cobwebs blooming from the windows, and toys scattered around.

Finally, they stopped at the last house in the village. He felt his blood turn cold, and his hate heat in his heart. There, painted in bright, red paint, was the Saporian Separatist symbol.  
Varian clenched his fist in anger and instinctively took one of his bath bombs and threw it at the house. He was hoping to clean the symbol from a home of a once innocent family.

"They will pay for this." He growled, causing Ruddiger to jump on his shoulders and rub his cheek. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I'm okay." He promised the raccoon, giving him an affectionate scratch.

He turned around, looking at the village once again when a puff of smoke left one of the chimneys. Someone was there.

He looked at Eden and moved Ruddiger to sit on her. "Stay here. If there is any sign of trouble, you're my back up." He ordered, causing them both to nod in agreement.

"Okay." He chuckled nervously, "let's do this."

He approached the door slowly. He didn't want just to go in there, what if someone lived there? But what if they are hostile, he could catch them off guard? But what if they knew where Cass was?

While the debate happened in his head, he lifted his hand and knocked. He looked at his hand, scandalized, but quickly lowered it and waited. He frowned when he didn't hear anything inside, so he placed his hand on the door handle and pushed it open.

He looked around and frowned. It wasn't the cleanest of places, but more decent than the rest of the village. "Hello?" He called before his foot met a pull string, and a rope came flying around his feet, pulling him down to the ground.

"Traps... I should have known." He grunted, before silencing at seeing a shadowy figure by the window.

He swallowed hard when a sword was placed on the back of his neck and cursed the hood for covering his eyes so he couldn't quite see who was above him.

"Who are you, and how did you find me?" The figure growled coldly.

He knew that voice, and he felt his heart leap in his chest from the sound of it. "Cassie!" He gasped happily.

He felt the sword push harder into his neck, and he was scared for a moment she was going to slice the cloak and his neck wide open.

"Andrew." She spat, "I thought I told you to leave me alone!"

"Nonononono!!" Varian lifted his hands, "Cass, Cassandra, it's me! It's Varian!!"

She quickly moved the sword away and backed away, "Varian?" She whispered. She reached down and moved the hood from his face, and he smiled nervously.

"Hi, Cass."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A REPRISE?? 
> 
> CASS AND VARIAN FINALLY REUNITED!! WOOO!! 
> 
> Thank you for reading! More to come soon!!


	7. Chapter 7

It took Cass a couple of minutes to register that the young man in front of her was her old friend. He looked so different. His face was more mature, more square. His hair was longer but still had that teal streak in it, though the streak seemed to be brighter and more apparent.

He had a bit of scruff on his face, but thankfully it wasn't something stupid like a goatee. However, the thing that stood out the most was his eyes. 

They were different. 

Wisdom and experience that she never saw before were sparkling in them. And looking deeper, she saw something she recognized from her own eyes. A sadness, a pain. Guilt. She felt a shiver go down her spine and looked away...was that always there? 

Granted, last time she saw her friend was the day she left Corona, and after all that happened with the Moonstone, Cass couldn't meet his eyes. Maybe she missed how troubled her friend was? Perhaps he was good at hiding it like she was?

"Ah, Cass? Could you maybe?" Varian waved his hand from the floor, gesturing to his trapped body. "Though I have to say I am impressed, being a bit of a trap expert, myself. Though I would suggest a spring system that way, it will trigger faster and more effectively. Oh, I can give you some of my Alchemy-"

"Do you want to be released or not?." She asked, interrupting him, annoyed. 

"Sorry, Cass." He murmured, lowering his eyes embarrassed.

She blinked at how fast his moods seemed to have shifted, before cutting through the ropes with her sword. She lowered the sword and held out her hand to help him up. 

He looked at her hand and smiled, taking it and getting up. He felt a little giddy when he was at his full height. Finally, he was taller than her. True, not but much, but his eyes were level with the top of her head. He could gaze at the dark curls all he wanted...n-not that he wanted to! But he could! 

They stood there for a minute, taking in the other. Cass was different than he last saw her. She still wore a green long-sleeved tank, but she also wore a vest of brown fur. Wrapped around her waist was a thick, black belt with a sheath for her sword. Her hands were in thick, dark brown leather gloves. She wore black, faded trousers and brown, sturdy boots. But most importantly, she wore a familiar purple necklace that shined like the day he gave it to her. 

She lowered her gaze to the ground and moved a stubborn, long curl that escaped her low ponytail, from her face. She cleared her throat and then looked back at Varian, "Look, it's good to see you, but why are you here?" She swallowed hard and turned her back to him. She sat down on her chair and started to sharpen her sword, not looking at him. "It's dangerous here." 

He watched her and scrambled to find the right words to say. Why was he here again? He blinked as everything came rushing back. He kicked himself for foolishly forgetting for a moment at the sight of the gorgeous woman in front of him. "I need your help." 

She lifted an eyebrow at him questioningly. 

"C-corona needs your help! Rapunzel! Needs your help." He corrected himself quickly, cringing internally. "Corona was invaded, and Rapunzel sent me to find you. We need your help." 

Cass paused, taking in what he was saying before looking down and sharpening her sword again. "No."

"Oh, good." He let out a breath before it registered what she said, "Wait, what?" He frowned, moving in front of her. "No? W-why no?" He stammered out, racking his brain for any reason she could have said the two-letter word. 

She didn't meet his eyes as she lowered her sword and took a deep breath. "Look, kid. I appreciate you coming all this way and doing who knows what to find me... but...Corona isn't my home anymore. Shame, there is trouble there, but it's not my problem."

Varian couldn't believe what he was hearing. This isn't the woman he knew. He ran his hand through his hair as he thought about how to respond. 

"Cassandra...it's Andrew and his Saporians." He told her, seeing her flinch slightly at the name and her fist tightening around the handle of the sword. "They have my dad, Cass….and your dad and possibly Rapunzel and Eugene and all your friends and the people you care about." 

Her hand went to her left arm instinctively as he spoke, closing her eyes, shaking slightly. 

He turned his face to the dirty, grimy window and swallowed hard. "They have my truth serum...as well as a Wand of Oblivium and.." he trailed off, his hand balling into fists as he got the words out, "and they got their hands on a piece of the mind trap. They were using them all and created something that can control everyone in their way." He lowered his head in shame as he remembered when he attempted to try to do the same. 

"You think I don't know that?" She finally snapped, standing from her chair quickly, causing it to tip over and crash on the ground. "I'm sure you noticed I live in a wrecked village, what do you think happened??" 

She reached out and grabbed his arm and pulled him out the door so he could get a good view of the town. "Where do you think he recruited his followers?" She asked, closing her eyes in disgust. "If they refused, he forced them to anyways, they lost their minds and became completely different people…" 

Her hands shook as she remembered the screams and the pleads of the peaceful, humble farmers that lived there and were kind enough to take her in. The people that gave her a home. She did her best to protect them, but they got the upper hand. 

She felt his hand on her shoulder, trying to give her a bit of comfort, and she relaxed at his touch. She let out a shaky breath and looked at him. "I confronted Andrew, and he wanted me to join him. When I said "no," he threatened to use the compound on me. I think he called it the Mind Mender? And…" she looked down in shame, holding her arm again. "I ran..I hid like a coward and let the people be taken and brainwashed by Andrew." 

"Cass...Cass, I had no idea." Varian murmured, looking around the village in a new light. "But you saw first hand what they are capable of...they are doing it to Corona, and once they have complete control, they can have the power to control the whole seven kingdoms." 

She took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, Varian...but, I can't." She turned away and headed back to her house. "It was nice seeing you." She said softly before going back inside. 

Varian stared at her retreating form, his hope and spirit crushed. He had so much hope that she would help, but he guessed it was foolish to believe so much in the person he remembered from the past. 

He looked at Eden and Ruddiger with a frown. The raccoon looked between him and the door before waving his paw, trying to get him to try again.

He squared his shoulders and approached the door. He placed his hand on it and let out a sigh, "I understand Cass, you're scared, and that's okay because I am too. I am terrified of what I'm going to find once I return to Corona. But it's okay to be scared. Fear isn't an enemy. It's an ally." 

He licked his lips and pressed his head on the door, "it's scary to face past mistakes; it's even scarier to think of how people will react to them. It feels like it would just be easier for them to forget.." he trailed off, remembering his realization when he served his time in the Corona prison. 

"But it's that fear that you have to grab onto and hold on tight." He clutched his hand, as memories and regrets passed through his mind as he spoke, "fear is what makes you wiser and stronger. And with that strength and wisdom, you don't have to be cowardly or cruel. Fear...fear can make you kind." 

He felt Ruddiger rub his head against his leg, and Varian took in the offered comfort from his oldest friend as he continued speaking, "Fear is always going to be with you...but it's also going to be with me. Fear is what brings everyone together...fear can lead us home." 

He quickly jumped back when the door suddenly swung open to reveal Cass, wearing a black cloak, a quiver across on her back. and a bow in her hand. "You are just as bad as Rapunzel." She rolled her eyes, "So, what's the plan?"


	8. Chapter 8

Something felt off with Cass as they rode away from the empty village. She jumped at every sound, and her eyes frequently shifted as if waiting for danger to pop out and attack them. It was odd to see someone so brave and daring look so anxious. ‘Could what happened with Andrew cause her so much fear?’ Varian wondered. It was so unlike her that it worried him. Though people do change. 

Once they were in the forest, she seemed to calm down. He glanced over to her and felt his heart swell at the sight of her clutching the Cassandrium with her right hand with her eyes closed as she took deep breaths. 

As if sensing him looking at her, she opened her eyes and stared right back. She dropped her hand from the necklace and grabbed the reins of Fidella. She shifted her gaze in front of her, keeping her face void of any emotion. 

Varian watched her for a few more seconds before looking down at the raccoon on his lap as the horses traveled through the thick foliage of the forest. He wanted to talk to her, there is so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t know how to begin. The one question that seemed to burn at the front of his brain is, ‘What happened? And why did she stop writing?’ 

He knew Rapunzel still got the occasional letter or trinket from Owl, but for some reason, she stopped writing to him. He knew that after all that they went through together, it was going to be awkward, and it was, at first. But then they moved past that, and it felt like they were friends again. It felt like they trusted each other again. 

Then one day after he sent a letter to her, he never got one back. It made him worried for days about whether or not she was in danger. He would have asked Rapunzel to send someone to look for her if Owl hadn’t come with a letter for Rapunzel. Not a single word in it mentioned him, nor did any of the letters that followed. It took him a long time to get over the nagging question of “why?” but now that he saw her again, he couldn’t just push it from his mind. But it didn’t matter what was going on in his racing mind, his mouth remained sealed, and they sat in silence as the horses trotted along. 

After a couple of hours in silence, finally, it was broken by Cass. “The Spire should be a couple of days journey from here,” she spoke, her voice firm and earnest, making Varian draw all his attention to her. 

His hand twitched in Ruddiger’s fur as if seeking strength from the slumbering creature. “That’s good, less of a journey than Corona to here,” he spoke, hating the fact his voice wobbled a little. He cleared his throat and let out a sigh, “I hope that nothing too bad has happened in the time between.” he murmured. 

She flickered her gaze to him and noticed the tired and sad look on his face. His head was low as his hand subconsciously petted Ruddiger. From just the dark bags under his eyes alone, it looked like he was about to fall off the horse from pure exhaustion.

She felt her heartbeat quicken in worry for her old friend. When was the last time he slept? She turned her head away and stared at the setting sun that was peaking through the trees. It was going to get dark soon. Maybe it was best if they stopped and continued their journey the next morning once they and the horses are rested? Also, this forest was...odd. From the first encounter, she had there with Rapunzel to the most recent. She didn’t like the forest one bit.

She stopped Fidella, which caused Eden to stop as well. Varian snapped his head up. “What are you doing?” he frowned, his face scrunching up with confusion. 

“I think we should look for a place to rest for the night,” Cass said, taking note of the flash of panic that crossed on the young man’s face before it was replaced with confusion once more. 

“Already? But we still have a long way to go, and we are fine riding at night if we need to.” Varian said, patting Eden’s neck with his gloved hand. 

“Yes, but this forest isn’t normal, Varian.” She tried to explain, “Weird things happen here, and it’s best if we are well-rested and alert.” 

“Cassandra, I went through the Forest of no return and came out just fine. I think a simple forest of weirdness won't scare me off,” he smirked a little, true he had help, but he still was able to get through. He flicked the reins and started forward. 

Cass watched him for a moment before rolling her eyes and urging Fidella to follow. “I still think it’s a good idea to stop, Varian. Trust me. I’ve been here many times.” 

“You said they're weird, shouldn’t that be a reason to get out of them quickly?” he pointed out, as they followed a river to a big waterfall that overlooked a sea of cliffs and mountains. 

Cass gazed at them with a frown, The Cliffs of Codo. The place Rapunzel insisted they climb, which ended with them at the odd bird people’s house. She looked at Varian and saw the look of awe on his face from the view. She knew the feeling well, seeing something magnificent and beautiful for the first time, but beauty can kill. 

“Varian…” She started but was cut off by her companion before she could say any more. 

“Alright, alright.” he sighed, “We can make camp for the night after we climb those cliffs.” he pointed at them, as he pulled out his map and a beaker of some chemical that she didn’t know the name of, that lit up as a source of light for him to see. “I think that is the biggest thing we will have to climb in this forest, and I think it’s better to get it out of the way, so we don’t have to deal with it tomorrow.” 

She wanted to protest, but let out a sigh and nodded in agreement. If it meant he would listen to her? Fine. 

Varian let out a whoop and reached into his bag to pull out a couple of apples. He tossed one to Cass, before giving one to Eden and one to the now wide awake Ruddiger. Cass smiled slightly and gave it to Fidella, who gave a happy snort to Varian. 

“I think she missed you,” Cass said as Varian threw another apple to her to eat. She caught it and was surprised at how red and ripe it was. She smiled slightly at it before taking a bite. She lifted her hand and wiped the juice that trickled from her lips with the back of her glove. That thing was juicy. 

Varian smiled at the horse and held back a chuckle as he watched Cass eat the apple. “I missed her too. So much so that Rapunzel and Eugene surprised me with Eden here.” he patted her neck gently. “I think they were just annoyed at me for complaining about not having a horse of my own.” 

Cass chuckled, “Eden, huh? That’s a nice name.” 

“Yeah, I think it suits her.” he smiled again as his horse neighed and stomped her feet happily. 

Once they were done with their snack, Cass looked at Varian, and her face was once again serious. “Let’s go.” 

“Lead the way, m’lady.” he gestured to her to go first, which prompted her to roll her eyes at the nickname. “You better not get lost, kid.” 

“Oh, trust me, I won't.” He said, his eyebrow raised in a bit of a challenge. 

She smirked at him and flicked her reins, asking Fidella to run. "This will be fun." She smirked before taking off down the path. 

Varian smiled at the retreating form before urging Eden to follow.

\----

Varian stared up at the cliff with a thoughtful look on his face. What was the best and safest way to go? He held his hands up and used his fingers to help him calculate different angles. "If we go there, then we have a possibility of that, but if we go there, we could...yeah, but with that we have…" he mumbled under his breath while Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"How about asking the expert?" She asked, snapping him out of his train of thought. "I've climbed these cliffs many times, trust me, it is easier than you are making it." 

She nudged Fidella towards the worn path that Varian couldn't believe he missed. He looked at Ruddiger sheepishly, who had his hands on his hips, before jumping onto his shoulders and curling around his neck, ready for the climb. 

He took a deep breath and followed the ex-lady-in-waiting. It was a bit rocky, but it was sturdy and could support both the horses and them pretty well. 

He looked around as they got higher and smiled some, the view was breathtaking. With the sun setting behind it all, causing an orange glow to blanket the mountains and valleys below, it was one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen. 

He glanced over at Cass and noticed that the wind pulled her hair from the ponytail, causing her dark curls to fly freely with the wind. She, too, was gazing at the sunset with a small smile twitching on her lips. Varian felt his breath hitch. She was stunning. 

He swallowed hard and looked down, knowing his face was heating up with embarrassment. 'Not the time, Varian, not the time.' He scolded himself. 

"We should hurry if we want to reach the top by nightfall," Cass said, urging her horse to go a bit faster. 

"Right! Right, absolutely!" He nodded, doing the same with Eden. "Come on, girl. We can do this." He murmured to the grey Lipizzan, as she galloped faster. 

\---

Night broke just as they reached the top. Varian held his hands up in victory and beamed at Cass. "We did it!" 

"Listen, Kid, that is nothing compared to the climb we have to make at the Spire. Trust me. You should probably save the celebration just yet." She said, her eyes surveying the area. She had a bad feeling about being here. 

"Sorry." He said meekly, "this is my first real journey outside of Corona. I'm just a little excited."

She stared at him for a moment before looking down, "you and Raps are really alike." She shook her head, smiling as she remembered her best friend. 

Varian frowned a little, that's the second time she compared him to their mutual friend. Rapunzel is great, don't get him wrong, but he was different than her. He didn't know why it was bothering him so much. He should be flattered, but he wanted her to see him like him, not...someone else. 

"Let's go find a place to camp for the night." She said, moving off of Fidella, before taking the wrong step and falling through a hole in the ground. 

"Cass!!" Varian cried before jumping in after her, causing Ruddiger to cling onto him for dear life. 

The horses shared a look before following their humans down the dark, endless hole.


	9. Chapter 9

It was a narrow hole, with overgrown branches and vines. Cass tried to grasp one of the vines to catch her fall, but it was to no avail. She let out a yell and covered her face with her arms as she came close to the ground. Rocks and sticks were clawing at her arms and sides. 

Right when she reached the end of the hole, her foot caught on a vine, causing her to bounce up and down and to spin getting caught in other vines, before leaving her hanging upside down.

She let out a groan and went to reach for the hilt of her sword, only for Varian to come tumbling out of the hole. His foot caught to another vine, and it swung around hers, causing them both to be tied together, face to face. 

"Great! Just great!" Cassandra complained, struggling against the vines that twisted around them. 

Varian couldn't speak, his face was heating up from being so near her. He has never been this close to a woman before. Sure he's hugged Rapunzel, but this was different. He will never hear the end of it from Ruddiger. 

"Can you reach my sword?" She asked, trying to reach it herself in a futile attempt. 

Varian blinked and looked up at her sheath that was holding her sword. He wiggled his arm, trying to get it. "Almost….almost," he mumbled, his fingers barely brushing against it before he had his whole hand on it. "Got it!"

"Good! Cut us down!" She exclaimed, gesturing to their feet with her head. 

Varian struggled to get it out, but managed to slide it out, when Ruddiger, Eden, and Fidella came sliding through the hole. 

With the vibrations of the large animals falling onto the ground, Varian's grip on the sword loosened, and it fell to the ground below them. 

He slowly lifted his head and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." 

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "I knew leaving with you was a bad idea!" She said in frustration.

Varian's expression fell at her words. Did she regret coming? Then why come with him at all? Varian's frown deepened, his heart started to slow, and being this close to her no longer held its spark. They needed to get out of there and fast. 

He spotted Ruddiger, watching them from below and cracked a slight smile. "Hey! Ruddiger! Can you help us out here, Buddy?" He asked the Raccoon, who nodded and ran up the tree that held them. 

"Varian, I appreciate your confidence in Ruddiger, but I don't think-" she was cut off by them falling from the vines and onto the ground below. 

"Oh, nevermind then." She laughed, looking at the Raccoon. Her gaze flickered up at the young man on top of her. She felt like a fish from the way her mouth opened and closed at their closeness. She was so distracted by trying to free them from the vines before. Now he was on top of her... Without her consent, her heart fluttered, and she quickly pushed it aside and locked all thoughts away. Nope, not now. 

Varian stared at the girl below him for a second before getting up and walking over to Ruddiger. "Good job, bud." He murmured, leaning down so he could crawl up his arm to his shoulder. "I'm so happy you're with me." He said to his best friend, not even sparing a glance Cassandra's way. 

Cassandra frowned at Varian's sudden coldness, as she slowly got to her feet. What's with him? 

Varian walked over to Eden and Fidella and made sure they were okay before looking around them. "Let's go find where to camp for tonight." He said, guiding Eden past her towards an overgrown path. 

Cass blinked at him and grabbed Fidella to do the same. "Are you okay?" She asked, confused. 

"Yep, just doing what you wanted." He said monotonously, "After all, I don't want you to regret being here with me any more than you have to." 

It took her a second to process his words before she gasped. "Are you talking about what I said earlier when we were trapped?"

"Look, I know you aren't happy to be here with me and probably wish I was Rapunzel instead, but she sent me. Corona needs your help. If we weren't so desperate, I wouldn't have even bothered you." He snapped, his frustration and anger coming out. "I know you don't like me, and I'm sorry for whatever I did or said that caused you to stop writing to me and stopped wanting to be your friend." 

"Varian…" she trailed off, shocked by his words. 

"Let's just go." He grumbled, walking into a clearing. He looked around before setting his bag down. "We'll camp here."

"Varian." she tried again, only to get cut off. 

"What? Is this not a good place? It's out in the open, and its surrounded by trees that we can flee in if we need to." He crossed his arms and sat on a log, staring at the ground. 

She looked at the horses with a sigh before setting her bag and bow down and sitting next to him. 

"Varian, kid…" she looked him over, "You're not a kid anymore, are you?" She let out a chuckle before looking down with a sigh. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said what I said. I'm just frustrated, and I'm scared, Varian, I'm scared of what we will find in Corona. I saw first hand what Andrew could do. I saw my new home fall to ash, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

Varian let out a sigh as his shoulders slumped, causing Ruddiger to scamper off, "I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have lashed out."

"No, no. You had every right to." She played with her gloved hands and closed her eyes, "I do wish Raps was here because I miss her, but you Varian, are not Rapunzel. And I'm glad about that." She nudged him slightly, "you may have some qualities like her, but you also...you remind me so much of myself." She looked down, "and it's hard to focus on those qualities because I admire the optimism and the wide-eyed look of the world you both share." 

Varian frowned and looked down, "so you think I'm just a combo of you both?"

"No, I think of you as Varian. The smart, kind, strong kid who has seen darkness but still finds beauty in the light." She placed her hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry if I haven't been a good friend to you." 

"It's...it's okay, Cassandra." He smiled slightly at her, his hand resting on top of hers. 

She returned the smile and squeezed his shoulder before standing up. "You set up our sleeping area, and I'll go get firewood. It gets cold at night."

"Aye, aye." He gave her a salute, before going to do what she told him to do. 

\---

Cass walked through the forest, sword out to chop wood, and anything else she might come across. Something didn't feel right. It felt like someone was watching her, and it put her on edge. She hated this place so much. 

Once she returned to the camp, she stopped at the sight of Varian mixing chemicals in his tubes. His face brightened at the sight of her and held up his creation. "Instead of spending a long time trying to light a fire, just pour this bad boy on there, and it will catch fire instantly." He said proudly. 

She smiled and set the wood down. She then grabbed some rocks and placed them around the firewood to create a barrier for it not to spread. "Let's see how it works." She said, causing Varian to grin.

He pulled out his baster and got the right amount of the formula measured. He then moved to the wood and sprinkled a few drops on it, causing it to burst into greenish flames. He smiled in triumph and looked at Cass. "Three drops, nothing more," he warned, once again thanking the stars that he didn't have to travel with Lance. 

"Not bad." She smiled, sitting back down on the log as she warmed herself by the fire. 

Varian smiled and pulled out another couple of apples. "Sorry, I have a lot of apples, but I suppose that's what happens when your father harvests them." 

"It's not really the season for apples, yet these are ripe and almost perfect." Cass observed, causing Varian to shrug, "They always seemed to be good year-round. I think my dad said the last time they had a bad harvest was when I was before I was born, and the year I was….gone, of course, because no one was there to tend them."

She nodded and bit into the apple with a small smile. 

When done with the apple, Varian threw his core into the fire. He glanced at Cass from the corner of his eye. The same question as before weighed on his mind, and she still hadn't answered it. 

"What?" She asked, throwing her core in the fire as well.

Varian swallowed and gazed at the dancing flames, fidgeting with his hands awkwardly as he gained the courage to ask her. "Why did you stop writing?" He asked her quietly. 

She froze and looked at the fire herself with a frown. She had hoped he would let it go, but she should have known. "Because...well…" she let out a breath and shifted to look at him. 

"Varian, I liked our letters, but when you sent me…" she trailed off and cleared her throat, "you were 17, and it was inappropriate, and I didn't think it was a good idea to lead you on."

Varian looked at her with complete confusion. "What? How is telling you about the mechanics of the Automatons and how I improved them inappropriate??" 

She shared his confused expression, "that's...that's not what your letter said." 

"What?" He asked, his eyebrows knitted together as he watched her reach in her bag and dig around until she found what she was looking for. 

Without a word, she handed him the letter.

"Dearest Cassie," he read out loud, "I love you. I can't hold back how I feel anymore, and you need to know I love you so much! Sometimes when I am doing alchemy, I lose myself in a daydream about us holding hands and kissing and going on dates! Please accept my love! Your lover, Varian.." he looked at the offending paper in his hands, pale, and he looked sick. 

"Now you see why…" she trailed off, looking down, "I should have replied, but I was scared…"

Varian held up his hand, his face red with anger, "I am going to kill those girls!" He shouted, jumping up and pacing. 

"What?" Cass asked in confusion

"I never wrote that! I must have been one of Kiera and Catalina's stupid pranks." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. 

"Oh." Cass looked at the letter and realized how stupid she was to have fallen for it. "I'm sorry, Varian." 

"It's not your fault." Varian let out a sigh and sat back on the log, his exhaustion setting in. "I am going to kill them."

She smirked at him and let out a small chuckle, "they sure know how to prank, though." She took the letter from him and put it back in her bag.

"The truth is, I did have a crush on you when I was younger, but how could I not? You were strong, independent, and beautiful...but after all, that happened, I never allowed myself to think like that again." He admitted quietly. 

Cass stared at him for a moment and felt her heart leap in her chest at his confession before it sunk into her stomach. What was wrong with her?

"We have a long day tomorrow. You should sleep." He looked at her and smiled, "I'll keep watch."

"Varian, you look like you are about to pass out. You should sleep." At the panic on his face, she held up her hand and gave him a stern look, "no protesting."

"You need to sleep too." He pointed out. 

She looked around thoughtfully before sighing, "fine. I'll sleep too." 

He was going to say something else before letting out a sigh and agreeing. 

They both shifted off the log and laid down on the blankets Varian had laid out, using their arms as pillows, they got ready for sleep. 

Ruddiger crept over and curled up next to Varian, snuggling into the man's warmth, causing him to smile. 

"Good night, Cass." 

"Good night, Varian."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not long, but still important!
> 
> I hope you all like it and thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> We're already at 10 chapters! None of this would have happened without your support for this story, so thank you. <3

_Varian stood in a garden of rare flowers and herbs. They were bright and colorful, and...he was pretty sure one of them growled…?_

_Where was he? Where was Cassandra?_

_He wandered through the garden when he spotted Ruddiger's tail. "Ruddiger!" He cried happily, running over, but the Raccoon ran away from him._

_"Where are you going, buddy?" Varian asked, chasing after his best friend._

_Ruddiger didn't stop. He jumped over roots and flowers until he got to what looked like a rabbit hole. He looked up at Varian, before plunging inside._

_"No! Ruddiger!" Varian shouted, kneeling at the hole and holding his hand out, hoping to grab the wandering Raccoon, but his hand slipped, and he went tumbling in._

_It was dark and endless. He felt like he was falling for hours when he was met with a bright light. He let out a shout and covered his face waiting for an impact that never came._

_He looked up and saw he was suddenly standing on the ground of a strange room. It was all black and white. Not s single color was in the room. Looking down, he realized he was also black and white. Weird._

_"Curiouser and curiouser." He mumbled, looking around the room, looking for a door. He ran his hands over the walls, looking for a secret nob or latch. Nothing._

_He stepped away and sighed when he saw a tiny door that could fit a mouse, but certainly not him._

_Seriously?_

_He ran a hand over his face when he noticed a table covered in chemicals and Alchemy. It was a long shot, but if he could just…_

_He looked at the different chemicals and frowned, how can he tell which was which? At the thought, the substances were suddenly bright colors, shining brightly, causing Varian to squint. Well, that's better._

_He pulled his goggles down and got to work. "If I do this and if I do that...peeeerfect!" He beamed and held up his creation._

_"But does it work?" He wondered, "I suppose there's only one way to find out." He lifted the vile and took a sip._

_In an instant, he felt his body start to react, it felt tingly and hot and then cold, but it was working. Slowly everything was getting bigger, and he was growing smaller._

_He grinned when he was finally the right size for the door. He pulled on the knob, but it was locked. He groaned and pounded his head on the door. Great, just great._

_He heard a jingling from behind him and saw Ruddiger with a key wrapped around his neck. "Good job. Buddy!"_

_He reached for the key, but everything faded away, and he was in a house made of stone and rock. He looked around and saw the walls covered in writings and scribbles. "Those look familiar…" Varian mumbled, running his hands over them._

_He paused and stepped back when he finally saw one very familiar. "The Sundrop and Moonstone…" he whispered in shock. Where was he? What was this place?_

_His eyes wandered the room some more and saw a gray lump of rock, but what made it stand out was that it had a blue glow that peaked through the cracks. He approached it, and the brighter it got. He went to grab it, but he was now in front of a mirror again, still covered with dust._

_He reached up to wipe the dust away and gasped at his reflection. His streak was glowing!_

_"Stardust." The voice whispered._

_He stumbled back and knocked into the table behind him. He looked behind him and gasped at the sight of the rock rolling off. He reached his hand out and was able to catch it before it hit the ground. But the moment he touched it, a brilliant blue light filled the room and…_

\-----

Varian's eye snapped open. He was gasping for breath as he had just come up from swimming. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, what was that? On instinct, his hand went to his streak, and he let out a sigh of relief. No glow, no snake. Everything was fine. 

He looked up at the sky and noticed it was morning already. He stretched his arms and slowly stood up. He looked around for Ruddiger but saw him curled up next to Cass with her arms around him. Both still sound asleep.

He smiled slightly at them and went over to the fire to put it out. He then pulled out his map and started to trace the best route to the spire from there. 

"You're up early." A tired voice said, causing blue to meet grayish-green. He shrugged a response, "this trip has caused me to become an early riser." He admitted, biting into a banana. 

She smiled and got up herself, stretching some. She walked over to him and pulled the map from his grasp to take a look at his work. She nodded in approval and went to hand it back to him when she saw him staring at something. 

She followed his gaze and saw a random door in the middle of the field. Other than the door being out of place in the middle of nowhere, there was something off about it. 

"Varian…" she started, only to see Varian already approaching in. "Varian!" She shouted, chasing after him. 

As if in a trance, Varian reached to open the door, when Cass placed her hand on his shoulder. "Varian, trust me, opening and going through mysterious doors doesn't end up well."

Her words seemed to snap him out of it, as he blinked and looked up at her, "Right! Sorry! I...um.." He went to take his hand off the door handle, but he couldn't. "Cass! I'm stuck!" 

"What do you mean stuck??" She grabbed his arm and tried to help pull it off, but it would not come off. She tugged and tugged, but no matter what they tried, his hand would not leave the handle. 

Suddenly the door opened, and a bright light of different colors swirled around them, pulling them in. 

"No! Ruddiger! Eden! Fidella!" Varian shouted before being pulled in completely. 

Cass brought her hand to her lips and whistled loudly before she was utterly pulling in as well. 

With a swoop, Owl came flying down and landing on Fidella. "Hoo?" 

The animals looked at each other before running at the door and jumping through into the bright light. It seems like they will have to save their humans. Again.


	11. Chapter 11

Varian rubbed his head and blinked a few times as the light faded. It took him a few minutes before the spots left his vision, and he looked around to make sure everyone was there and safe. 

"Varian?" Cass asked from next to him, blinking a few times, not having her vision back. 

"I'm right here, Cass." He replied, taking her right hand in his and giving it a gentle squeeze. She returned the squeeze as he slowly got to his feet and then helped her up as well. 

She placed her free hand on his arm and put some of her weight on him, trusting that he would help guide her. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go back through the door!" 

Varian winced at the sound of the annoyance in her voice and glanced around them with a frown. "Uh, I can't do that…"

"What do you mean you can't?" She snapped, her head turning to where she assumed his head was.

"T-the door's gone…" Varian admitted sheepishly and looked around the area, "and we're definitely not where we were before…" 

"What?" She frowned, "where are we?" She asked, her hand on his tightening. 

He frowned more as he tried to figure that out. Something about this place seemed to be familiar, but he knew he'd never been there before. "I don't know…"

At first glance, it looked like a forest, but on closer inspection, the trees were actually giant flowers. It was as if they were the size of ants! 

"Fascinating…" he mumbled, before snapping himself out of it and looked at the woman holding onto his arm with a small smile. 

"What?" She asked, blinking her eyes in the hope that will help with her vision. 

"This place is nothing like I've ever seen before…" he mumbled in awe, gesturing for the horses to follow them as he started to guide them down a path.

"Ugh, don't tell me we are stuck in a magical land," Cass complained, having no choice but to follow him. 

"Well, I wouldn't call it magical…" he mumbled with a wince, "With the power of science, you can have a garden the size of a house easily, no magic needed." 

"Wait; what?" She asked, stopping and pushing away from him. She rubbed her eyes frantically, hoping to improve her vision. 

Varian watched as she blinked a few times and seemed to be able to see finally. She looked up and stared in shock. 

"No way…" she breathed, staring up at the bright colored flowers that towered over them. 

"Do you know where we are?" Varian asked her, petting Ruddiger, who jumped upon his shoulders. 

"A magical land." She replied flatly, causing him to snort with an eye roll, "you would think that after everything you've seen, you would have a little belief in magic." 

Varian shrugged, "I believe everything has a scientific explanation, even if it hasn't been discovered yet." he turned to look at her, "just to write something off as magic seems a bit…" he trailed off, "i want to know why things work the way they do and why they happen in the first place. Even if I can't understand it, which lets be real, is hard to do, I want to be reassured that there is an answer out there to discover." 

"I suppose that makes sense, but there are some things you can't explain with science...like the Sundrop and Moonstone." She pointed out, taking hold of Fidella's reins, feeling relieved that her sight was finally back.

"I guess that it was a chemical reaction with different components and compounds with a solar and lunar flare. What doesn't make sense to me is the physical reactions it caused on earth.." he mumbled before shaking his head from the thoughts, "that's something that's been bothering me for the last six years, one of those things that I just can't come up with an answer no matter how much research I've done."

Cass shook her head and shared a look with Owl. "Well, hopefully, you'll get the answers you want someday." She said as she moved past him on the path. 

\--

They walked for a while, but it seemed like the sun never moved. It stayed right in the middle of the bright blue sky. 

Cass stared up at it with a frown, covering her eyes from its glare, "it's still Noon…" she looked at Varian and stopped walking, "i think to find a way out of here, we should get a bit of a scope of the land." 

She looked at Owl and nodded to him, "Do your thing." He tilted his head at her before taking off into the sky. 

They all watched as he circled the tops of the flowers before flying back down. He landed on Cassandra's arm and stared straight ahead of him. 

"That's the only way, huh?" She asked the bird before letting out a sigh. "Well, I guess the only way to go is forward." She murmured.

They walked a little further when the ground started to shake. Varian let out a yelp as he lost his balance and fell back, causing Ruddiger to jump off his shoulder and onto Fidella's back. 

Varian closed his eyes, ready to meet the ground only to be caught in Cassandra's arms. He smiled at her, sheepishly, "You always knew how to sweep me off my feet, m' ' lady." 

She rolled her eyes before pushing him out of her arms to a standing position. "What happened?" She mumbled, looking around them. 

Everything was suddenly different, the flowers no longer towered over them, but were in a regular size by their legs. "What the…?"

"Look!" Varian said, pointing at the sun. It had moved. It no longer was in the middle of the sky, but peeking from behind a tall mountain. 

"Incredible!" he breathed, "the flowers must have a connection to the movement of the sun!" 

"This place is weird…" Cass frowned, not liking it. She walked closer to Varian as a tingle appeared on the back of her neck again. It felt like they were being watched, similar to how she felt the night before. The sooner they left there, the better. 

She looked at Owl, "any chance there is a new way out?" She asked the bird again, causing it to flap its wings and fly off in the sky again. 

Ruddiger stared at the humans, bored. It seemed all they did was walk and talk. It was boring. He let out a sigh before catching sight of a tree with big, bright apples hanging from it. 

He pulled on Fidella's mane and gestured to it. The older horse looked over before turning her head back to where the humans were talking.

Ruddiger made an annoyed chatter before pulling on it again. This time the horse sighed and gave in. She took one more look at Cass and Varian before moving over to the apple tree. 

The raccoon looked at the apples greedily and jumped off the horse into the tree. He grabbed one of the bright-colored fruit and dropped it to the Fidella, before grabbing his own and climbing down onto her back. He looked at the apple, happy to have his snack. 

"-so I think since we don't know this place, we shouldnt touch anything." Cass said, just as the horse and raccoon bit into their apples. 

Everyone froze, waiting for something to happen. After a few seconds they all let out a breath in relief. 

"Phew! That was suspenseful." Varian said with a chuckle, "you need to stop taking every apple you see." He scolded Ruddiger, only to jump back as the raccoon and horse started to glow bright pink. 

"What?" Cass gasped, backing up slightly as the glow engulfed the animals. 

After a few seconds, the glow faded, and gone were the horse and raccoon. In their place was a young man and woman, staring back at them with shock. 

"So...does that mean I can't get another apple?" the man asked, causing Varian to faint.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say thank you so much for being patient! The last few days have been hectic and I haven't been in much of a mood to write. Like I would start and stop, start and stop, but yet I would get so many ideas. Le sigh. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you for your support and love for this story! I'm happy you all liked my "Surprise" in the last chapter and hopefully, this will continue to excite you and find a little bit of happiness in these stressful times. 
> 
> As you know I don't have a set schedule of when I post these, it's mostly whenever I'm in the mood to write or when I have time to write, so thank you again for being patient with me. <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!!

"Varian?" 

"Varian!"

With a start, Varian snapped his eyes open, "what happened? I had a strange dream, well not stranger than normal, but Fidella and Ruddiger were human-ah!" Varian gasped at the sight of a dark-skinned woman with long black hair staring down at him. 

She smiled softly at Varian and held her hand out, "Hi Varian, I'm Fidella." 

Varian blinked a couple of times before taking it and allowing her to help him up, "F-fidella, the horse?" 

"Well, until I ate an apple that turned me human." She shrugged and let go of his hand to play with her long hair. "This is so odd.."

"Hair?" Varian asked, watching her get her hand tangled in the long hair.

"No, hands!" She lifted her hands and wiggled then in front of her face. "I have no idea how you can control all the fingers! It's like tentacles for your hooves!" 

"Uh, I suppose." Varian scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "never thought about it that way before…" 

"And standing on two feet! It was so hard for me to do that before! Max always did it better than me." She gushed, spinning on her feet with a laugh. 

"Yes, hands and feet are pretty neat." He chuckled, "Where's Cass?" 

She looked up from wiggling her toes and pointed to a tree behind him where Cass was trying to get a human Ruddiger down.

"Right…" Varian mumbled before walking over. 

"Ruddiger, come down!" Cass ran a hand through her hair in frustration, "we don't know if eating another apple will reverse this or make it worse!" 

"She's right, buddy." Varian said, standing next to her, "I know your stomach is bigger than your brain, but…"

"I'll have you know my brain is the same size as my stomach!" Ruddiger said, leaping down from the tree with an apple in his hand, smiling with pride. 

Varian blinked at the sound of his animal companion speaking to him, but honestly, after having a short conversation with Fidella, he shouldn't be surprised. 

He threw the apple at Varian, causing his friend to fumble to catch it. and waved his hand, "So get to sciencing!"

Varian clutched the apple in his hand and stood up straight. "I can't just examine this apple! N-not without my supplies, a clean work station, my books-"  
"Nonsense, you and I both know you have done more with less." Ruddiger looked at Varian with a knowing look.

"Ruddiger, that was u-under different circumstances." Varian stuttered, glancing at Cass and looking away. He never told anyone how he broke out of prison, and he never will. It was the darkest day of his life. Thankfully no one was severely hurt, and they seemed to have forgiven him, but he will never forget and never forgive himself. 

"Stop selling yourself short, kid, you can do this." Cass looked at him, "and I'm right here to help you."

"Like an assistant?" Varian asked her softly, making her chuckle and nod.

"Yes, an assistant." She agreed. 

"Me too!" Fidella piped up, "I want to see how to explode things!"

"I don't just explode things!" Varian said defensively

"Yeah, you do," Ruddiger said, leaning his elbow on Varian's shoulder with a chuckle. 

"I always make safety cautions and measures! I calculate it, so it's just right so that if there is a small explosion, it doesn't cause too much damage!" Varian crossed his arms, glaring at who he thought was his best friend. 

"You just admitted you make explosions." Ruddiger pointed out with a laugh, causing Varian to gasp and sputter for a response. 

Honestly, if she didn't know the fact Ruddiger was a raccoon, Cassandra would have thought Varian and Ruddiger were brothers. They were a similar height with similar bangs. Though the difference with Ruddiger was that he was very pale, with dark circles around his eyes, and had a ponytail with grey stripes running along with it like a raccoon tail. 

The older woman watched the boys bicker for a minute before cutting in and placed a hand on Varian's arm. "How can we examine this to see if we can reverse it?"

"As I said, it is impossible to out here. Without a proper way to examine it, it will cause more harm than good..." Varian said, looking at the raccoon turned human, "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you."

Ruddiger opened his mouth to protest before closing it again, "I suppose your right, but then, I do like being human again. It's nice." He let out a sigh. 

"Again?" Cass questioned, crossing her arms with a raised eyebrow. 

"Uh...well…" Ruddiger rubbed his neck before he was cut off by Fidella, who walked over to them and pointed behind them. "Look!" 

They all turned their heads and blinked in shock as a random house appeared before their eyes. 

"This house looks familiar…" Cassandra said, her hand on her knife, ready to attack in case anyone hostile popped out. 

They all slowly approached the house, taking in its largeness. It was a rusty pink color with blue trim and a red roof. It's structure reminded Varian of his home, but more modern and with fewer holes in the ceiling. 

Cassandra suddenly grabbed Varian's arm to stop him and spun around with her knife. She gasped in shock when her eyes met with to very familiar people clad in yellow clothing. 

"Why, Mother, look what we have here!" The man said, looking down at the shorter woman next to him.

"Oh, Father, we have guests!" Mother grinned and rubbed her hands together. 

"Get away from us, you freaks!" Cass glared at them. 

"But you're the ones in our garden, and it seems you ate from our garden." Mother gestured with a giggle to Ruddiger and Fidella.

"Wait, your Garden?" Cass questioned before she let out a sigh, "oh course it is...the door…"

"...Appeared right where our house used to be before you destroyed our precious teapot sending us back to this lonesome garden without any birds." Father finished and let out a dramatic sigh. 

"You turned us into birds and planned to keep us!" Cass exclaimed, and if it weren't for the fact Varian was holding her arm, she probably would have attacked them. "Rapunzel could have been stuck as a bird forever!" 

"Such a shame, she was quite the perfect bird for our collection." Father wrapped his arm around Mother to comfort her. 

'You're the ones who brought us here; who have been watching us!" Cass accused, pointing her finger at them with a glare.

"Where are we?" Varian asked before Cass could go on a dull rage. 

"Well, young man, welcome to Hortus Summo Desiderio, the Garden of Deepest Desire," Father said, extending his arms out and spinning. 

"Garden of Deepest Desire?" He asked before rolling his eyes, "that's a bit counterintuitive."

"Indeed!" Father agreed, "but once upon a time, we were the house and ground keeper of Demanitus…"

"Oh great, we get their backstory," Cass complained as Fidella grinned in excitement. 

Ruddiger lazily sat down on the ground, not caring what they were talking about, he needed a nice nap after the physical transformation. And he liked naps. Naps were good. 

"Shh." Varian shushed, waved his hand at Cass when they mentioned Demanitus, wanting to know more. "Demanitus, you say?"

"Demanitus and Zhan Tiri." Mother corrected, "Back before they were mortal enemies."

"Ah, a quite right mother!" Father agreed and continued his story, "we were the house and groundskeeper for them both. One afternoon, we heard them arguing over something."

"About the sun drop and moonstone?" Cass guessed, irritated that they had to sit and listen to these two ramble on! They needed to find a way out of here and change Ruddiger and Fidella back. And most of all, get away from them before they turned her and Varian into some animal. Thankfully Eden and Owl were still the same. 

"Normally yes, but this time it was different." Father took Mother's hand and sighed, "they were talking about making their own version of the stone and drop, by combining it with a meteorite they found. Zhan Tiri was upset by the very thought of him stripping any power from the sun drop and moonstone."

"They had an agreement that if they found both, Demanitus would get the sun drop, and Zhan Tiri would get the moonstone." Mother piped in. 

"So we thought since the master and mistress of the house were so uptight about these stones, why don't we take them and the temptation away?" Father sighed dramatically again and cuddled mother. "but alas, they didn't have the Moonstone and Sundrop, so we tried to take their research."

"We tried to help them from fighting so much, but it resulted in angering Demanitus and him trapping us here to take care of this garden." Mother cried, "a place without birds!"

"After years of solitude from no one but each other, Zhan Tiri came to save us! She left Demanitus and gave us our precious teapot to return us to our world, where we could have as many birds as we want!" Father finished the story, "that is until you broke it!" He pointed at Cass. 

Varian jumped in before Cass could respond, "you said Demanitus was going to put some power of the moonstone and sun drop into a meteorite? Do you know if it worked? I thought they never found the sun drop and moonstone?" 

"We don't know. Only their young assistant would have known." Mother replied, with a shrug.

"Yes, Ruddiger, did it work out for them?" Father asked the relaxing man who looked like he was about to take a nap. "We are dying to know."

"Wait, Ruddiger?" Varian and Cass asked at the same time and looked at the once raccoon. 

"Surprise."


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, thank you so so much for your patience! Like I said in my previous note, things have been busy recently, and I've been finding it hard to write. Not just finding the time, but finding the motive to. I want to write, but I found it hard to. So I am so sorry for the wait, and hopefully this makes up for it. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter, and thank you so much for sticking with me!

"Ruddiger? The Racoon?" Cass asked, not being able to wrap her head around the thought that the raccoon that was always by Varian's side was a human. A very old human from the sound of it. 

"Yep." Ruddiger stretched his arms out and continued to lay lazily on the ground, "Though it's been a long time since I've been human so I guess the whole raccoon to man thing is still into play here. Actually, I've been a raccoon longer than I was a man...odd." he mumbled and let out another yawn. 

Cass looked over to Varian. Poor guy must be devastated to learn such a massive secret from his best friend. He looked so shocked as he just stared at Ruddiger with an unreadable expression. He looked like he was going to explode at any second.

She walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to give him a little comfort. She wasn't always good at the whole "feelings" thing, but she at least can let him know she was there for him. 

"All this time…" Varian started softly, Cassandra's touch snapping him out of his daze. "All the traps I made from you sneaking in. The late-night projects where you were more of a comfort than a nuisance. You never left my side through my darkness...you were a human…" 

"And let me just say, I enjoyed all the time we spent together." Ruddiger said, snapping his eyes open at his friend's words, "Trust me, you're my best friend as much as I am yours." 

"I-I hid you from my dad!" Varian started to ramble and pace in front of them, running his hands through his hair, "I cleaned up after you! In more ways than one!" 

"Yeah, that's a low point in my experience of a raccoon...but then again, I never did like being tidy." Ruddiger sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees as he watched his friend, "My sister was always the organizer and "Clean up after yourself, Ruddiger! You are a disgrace to this family!" type." He mimicked a high voice to imitate how his "sister" supposedly sounded. 

"You are old…" Varian mumbled with disbelief. 

"Hey! I'll have you know I am much younger than Demaitus was!" Ruddiger defended himself, "I was 14 when I first became his assistant, and he was already old so...ha!" 

"Demanitus! You worked with Demanitus!!" Varian gasped and looked at the Racoon looking man, "You were his assistant… My assistant is the same one that Demanitus worked with!! I have so many questions!!" He suddenly switched from his shock to complete joy, "You've made me hot cocoa...did Demanitus like hot cocoa too? Did you make it for him too? Did he like it the same way??" Varian asked excitedly, causing Rudigger to nod with a smirk. 

Questions just poured out of Vairan's mouth, one after another. He couldn't stop, he wanted to know so much about this amazing man for so long. He would admit he was a little jealous that Rapunzel got to meet him. Oh, what he would give to meet that genius that inspired all his work. 

Ruddiger nodded or shrugged at all of Varian's questions, amused by his enthusiasm. This was the kid he knew and loved like family. 

Cass glanced at the Mother and Father, who was watching them with interest and placed her hand on Varian's shoulder again to stop him. "I know this is exciting, but we were in the middle of something." 

"Oh, right." Varian nodded and turned to the couple as well, "Is there a way you can change Fidella back?" 

Cass and Ruddiger both looked at Varian in surprise that he only requested the horse be changed back. Cass looked at the raccoon turned man and narrowed her eyes. Something felt off about him. There was something familiar about him that didn't sit right with her. She swore at that moment she would protect Varian, no matter the cost. He has already been through a lot. The last thing he needed was for another one of his friends to betray and hurt him. 

"Oh my, unfortunately, there isn't anything we can do," Father said, breaking her line of thought. 

"What do you mean nothing you can do?" Cass growled, narrowing her eyes, "Don't you have an egg or something to crack over their heads?"

"No, we don't." Father said, "Unlike the tea, the apples are grown here. It's out of our control." 

"But, there is one way you can change your friends back." Mother said, "they must drink from the River of Truth." 

Varian glanced at Cass with a 'really?' expression in his face. He could name something better than that. 

"Let me guess you drink from it, and it reveals your truth?" Varian guessed flatly. 

"Indeed!" Father gushed, clapping his hands. 

"Come inside! We have a map!" Mother urged them, taking Father's arm and headed for the house. 

"I don't trust them," Cass said, turning to Varian.

"Yes, but they could be our only way out of here." Varian turned to look at her as well, "Being stuck here is my fault. We could be halfway to the Spire by now if I didn't go near that door." He ran his hand through his hair and let out a sigh, "Maybe they will help us? Maybe they will cause harm? Right now, we have no other choice." 

Cass frowned at the self-loathing expression that passed over his face but nodded in agreement. "Fine." She sighed, walking past him toward the house, "But if I say leave, we leave, okay?" 

"Aye, Aye, Cassandra." Varian soluted her, before following with Fidella running up to them to keep up. 

Ruddiger looked at Eden and Owl, "go with them into the creepy house with equally creepy people, or stay out here to nap?" He asked out loud before grabbing Eden's reins and moving them over to a shady tree. 

"Nap it is." He yawned and settled himself under it for a nice rest. 

\---

Varian followed the odd couple inside the house and looked around. It looked...normal. Everything was clean and in place. Cream-colored walls with paintings of different birds scattering them. They followed the red and gold rug covered oak floors to a sitting room with a big, bright window and curtains. It felt like an ordinary house, but something felt off...  
.  
He glanced over at Cass and couldn't quite read her expression. Did she feel it too? His nerves were on high alert by being in there, and it was unsettling. 

"Please, sit down, make yourself comfortable!" Father gestured to the red sofa, "I'll go see if I can find that old map." 

Fidella walked over and sat down, "oh! This is much more comfortable than straw." she gasped, shifting in the seat until she was comfortable. "Can I get a cushion in my stable?" she asked, looking at her friend. 

Cass looked at her before nodding, "Sure." she said, causing Fidella to grin and pull Cass down to sit next to her. 

Varian shifted as he glanced around, before sitting next to Cass on the sofa. He couldn't get the anxious feeling out of him that screamed for him to run. "This is the only way," he mumbled under his breath. 

Cass turned her attention to the man who sat next to her. She watched as he fidgeted with his gloves, his eyes flickering around. She placed her hand on his knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You okay?" she whispered.

He lifted his head and nodded, a slight smile forming on his lips. He was used to little touches from her, usually on the arm and the shoulder, but the knee was new. It felt intimate, and he craved for more. He wanted nothing more than to take her hand in his. He bet it would fit perfectly. 

All too soon, her hand moved away from him, leaving the spot cold and causing disappointment to weigh in his chest. He shook his head, now was not the time.

Mother came in with a tea tray and set it on the coffee table in front of them, "You must be famished, would you like some tea?" she asked, holding out a teacup to them.

Fidella looked at it with interest and reached out to grab it, only for Cass to slap her hands away. "Last time we accepted tea from you, we were going to be your captives forever, I'd rather not relive that, thank you." She snapped, glaring at the seemingly innocent woman. 

Varian cleared his throat and ran his hands on his knees, "So...you worked for Demanitus?" he asked, trying to get the topic off tea after seeing Cass getting angry. "That must have been interesting?" 

Mother shrugged as she settled in her chair, "The stories of him depict him as a hero, but I see him as what he truly was. An eccentric, cold, uncaring man, who put his work above all others." She said, her voice cold when speaking about him before it went back to cheery, "Zhan Tiri was a true lady though, so kind and caring." 

Cass curled her hands into fists as the woman kept speaking of the monster that manipulated and lied to her. She wanted to grab the woman and toss her out the window. 

She was about to tell the woman how wrong she was when she felt a hand move over her fisted one. She glanced down at the hand and then at the man seated close to her. She slowly relaxed her fist and uncurled her fingers. 

She felt him begin to move his hand, but her newly free fingers scrambled for the hand and brought it back to hers, locking it securely in hers. She needed to have an anchor to bring her back when the anger got the best of her. The way the woman spoke about the demon that gave her nightmares, angered her. She needed him. He always seemed to have a way to calm her down with a simple touch. 

Varian felt his heart race. She was holding his hand. She took his hand, and it felt amazing. He knew that Mother was speaking more, but he couldn't focus. It seemed like any brain cell that he once had gone flying off until he was a mindless creature that could only focus on her hand in his. Her hand was warm and small. The slope in her palm seemed to fit in the curve of his like a piece of a puzzle. He never wanted to let go. 

His attention was snapped back to reality when Father returned with multiple maps in his arms. Some big, some small, all of them hand-drawn. 

"I'm a bit of a cartographer." Father said, setting the multiple maps on the table, "I aught myself." 

"Why do you have so many?" Fidella asked, fascinated, reaching out to touch the maps only for her hand to be pulled back again by Cassandra. 

"I don't know if you noticed, but the structure of this place changes every 4 hours." he started, taking the seat next to Mother, "I need a map for each change." 

"Wow, it must have taken you a long time to do all this." Varian gasped in amazement, his eyes wandering over the different maps. 

"It did indeed, and this is the only copies we have." he let out a sigh, opening up the maps. 

"These are your only copies?" Cass asked in disbelief, "And you are just giving them to us?"

"Well, we had this fun idea…" Father started and looked at mother who nodded, "What if we came with you as navigators? We will show you the way, and get to bring the maps back with us."

"You want to come with us?" Cass asked, standing up, her anger finally taking over completely, "No way! Why would we trust you? You could lead us to our deaths!!" 

"Maybe, maybe not, but you have no other way out." Father countered, picking up the teacup from the tray and taking a sip. "But the choice is yours."

Varian stood up, "Could you give us a minute to talk about it?" he asked the odd couple who nodded and got up to leave the room. 

Once they were sure they were out of the room, Cass turned to Varian with a frown. "I don't trust them, and I would rather be lost in the woods than follow those awful people blindly!" she tugged at her hair in frustration and pointed toward the door they had just gone through. "You heard what she said about Zhan Tiri!!" 

Varian nodded and let out a sigh, "I know, I don't trust them and being in this house just makes my skin crawl." he glanced around until his eyes spotted the maps on the table. "We could just take them."

"What?" Cass asked, following his gaze, "Varian, you're not thinking…?"

"We could just take them now and sneak out without them even realizing." Varian shrugged, the years of being friends with former thieves rubbing off on him just a little.

Cass shifted her gaze between him and the maps before nodding. "Let's do it." she agreed, walking over to the table. She picked up a couple of maps and handed the others to Varian before heading to the door. 

They both stopped in their tracks at the sight of Fidella standing in front of it with crossed arms, glaring at them. She was so different from the curious and wonder-filled girl she had been acting like previously. 

"I can't believe you." she said, shaking her head with disappointment, "After both of your dark and criminal pasts, you both decide to do this? Stealing is against the law. It doesn't matter who they are. It's wrong." 

"I forget she was a guard horse sometimes," Varian mumbled to Cass, who was staring at the girl, a bit impressed by how intimidating she looked. 

"We need to get out of here…" Cass tried to reason with the girl, "We need to get you back to normal." 

"I know...but, I think you should take their offer." She nodded towards the shut door, "You know they can't be trusted, you know they have another motive behind this...you just need to be smarter than them and don't let them trick you." 

Varian listened to her words and nodded, "She's right." he looked at Cass, "We need to get out of here. They are the only way." 

Cass wanted to argue but reluctantly agreed, "Fine." She walked over to the table, placed the maps down, and sat back down on the couch. 

Varian put his down and went to the door and knocked on it. Mother poked her head out and looked at him curiously, "Did you decide?" she asked, her and father emerging through the door.

"We will take you up on your offer," Varian swallowed, straightening his shoulders as he looked at them. 

"Excellent!" Mother smiled, reaching down and pulling out an already packed bag. She handed it to Father and grabbed another for her to carry, "I do love a good road trip." 

"Tally ho, Mother!" Father exclaimed, taking her hand, leading her towards the door. 

Varian looked at Cass and Fidella before following the odd couple out. "This was going to be interesting."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say thank you so much for your support and all the kind comments! It's fun to discuss this and see where you think this is heading and just giving me motivation to write. Thank you so much. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this Chapter and I hope to have more up soon! Have a fantastic rest of your day!

Varian stared at the sleeping man with a frown. It was odd to think that this was his best friend and someone who had been around him since he could remember. He had so many questions, but he knew they were trying to beat the clock. The longer they were there, the more time the Saporians were destroying his home. They could be hurting and possibly killing his friends. For once, he would have to let go of his curiosity and longing for knowledge.

He let out a sigh and leaned down by Ruddiger and tapped his arm, "Ruddiger? Ruddiger, wake up, we are leaving." 

Ruddiger snapped one eye open before closing it again and let out a sigh, "this is why I preferred being a raccoon." he mumbled and forced himself to sit up. 

Varian smiled slightly and helped his friend up, "we found a way to turn Fidella back to being a horse. 

"Let me guess; the creepy people have a map?" Ruddiger guessed, running a hand over his ponytail with disinterest. 

"Pretty much, just keep a sharp eye on them." Varian confirmed, "We don't know what they are up to and if they will lead us astray."

"Oh, they will." Ruddiger nodded, "Just say the word, and I will help you ditch them."

"Sounds like a plan." Varian grinned at his friend, before going back over to Cass and Fidella. 

He followed Cassandra's gaze towards Mother and Father and placed a hand on her arm, "We'll get out of here." he promised. 

"I already almost lost my best friend because of them…" Cass mumbled, "I don't want something to happen to yo-anyone else." she looked up at him, "I don't trust them, and I have a bad feeling about this. But it's like you and Fidella said, this is the only way out of this stupid garden."

Varian offered her a small smile and squeezed her shoulder, "I think you and Fidella should take Eden." 

"Oi!" Ruddiger complained, "Why does the horse get to ride a horse? That's not fair!" 

Fidella raised an eyebrow at Ruddiger, "Well, you are the one who caused this mess in the first place." she pointed out before looking at Cass and Varian. "But he is correct. I don't need to ride. I am a horse; after all, walking is normal for me." 

Ruddiger nodded and pointed at the horse turned girl, "Yes, yes. She doesn't need to ride."

"And neither do you it seems since you too were an animal," Varian smirked at the man, knowing that he wanted to ride the horse, so he didn't have to walk. "Stretching your legs can be fun." 

"Stretching your legs can be fun." Ruddiger mocked, letting out a huff, "Fine, but I expect a mountain of apples when we get out of here."

Varian just shook his head and smiled in amusement. He grabbed the reins of Eden and brought her over to Cass. "We have a bit more of a journey ahead." he murmured to the horse, petting her nose softly, "But I know you can do it."

He looked up to Cass and gestured to the horse, "Up you go, M'lady."

Cass looked at the horse and then at Varian, "And you are going to walk?" she asked with an eyebrow raised. 

"That was the plan, yes." He nodded, confused.

"Varian, you still look like you're going to fall asleep on your feet." She pointed out with crossed arms. 

"Yeah, well, strange and very detailed dreams will do that to a person," he mumbled to himself, but Cass heard him. She frowned and took his hand, "You are riding with me." She looked him in the eyes and squeezed his hand, "I don't trust them, and I don't want us to get split up." 

Varian was about to protest, but the feeling of her hand in his caused him to nod numbly. He would do whatever she asked as long as she never let go of his hand. "Okay."

She smiled at him and walked over to Fidella, "Keep an eye on them." she murmured to the woman, gesturing to Mother and Father, "I know you said this was the only way, but I refuse to lose anyone else because of these horrible people."

Fidella's face turned serious, and she nodded, "We are going to get out of here and back to Corona." she promised, "We just need to be smart in how we act, not get emotional and overreact." 

"I am not overreacting!" Cass exclaimed in a whisper, "I just know what they are capable of." 

"Cassandra, I've known you since your father gave me to you as a foal." she took her hand in hers, "i know you have the most strategic mind of us all, but even though you try to push them away, your emotions seep through when you are in a personal situation." 

"What are you saying?" She asked her, confused.

"It's okay to express your feelings, Cass, just don't let them blind you." She squeezed her hand, "You need to have a clear head, and grudges and past feelings of anger can cloud it." 

"You're not saying I have to forgive them?" Cass looked at her in shock, anger laced in her tone. 

"No, you just have let it go, so when they do betray us, we see it coming." She reached up and patted Cassandra's arm, 

"I'm still confused." Cass admitted quietly, "Should I keep my emotions in or let them out?" 

"Express your feelings. Don't let them linger and fester into something that can hurt not only you, but also Varian." She murmured, her gaze flickering to the young man who was talking to Ruddiger, who was once again trying to convince him to let him ride the horse. 

"How would it hurt Varian?" she asked, her voice coming out soft as she watched him, a small smile creeping onto her lips at the annoyed look on his face. 

"We both know he lost so much from a young age, and once again, his whole world is falling apart," Fidella said, snapping Cass away from Varian to look at her. "You know what that's like more than anyone. I think he needs to have a friend." 

Cass's hand lifted to the necklace on her neck and stroked the stone, lost in thought. "Who would have thought you were so wise?" she asked the horse softly. 

"One of the perks of being your horse." she smiled at her and pulled her into a hug. She always wanted to hug her. "I know what happened with Andrew was-"

"Horrible?" Cass let out a bitter laugh as she hugged her friend back, "Just another thing to pile on my mountain of guilt."

"You changed your mind quickly about coming with Varian, though." Fidella pulled away and looked at her, "Why? Was it the little speech he gave to you? What changed your mind?"

Cass stared at Fidella bewildered by her question, her hand still playing with the necklace as she thought it over. "I don't...know." she answered honestly, "I didn't want to get involved and watch the people I love get hurt again...but...as he spoke, something in me told me I needed to go with him. I-i don't know how to explain it. It felt like I had to go with him." 

Fidella smiled at her and started to play with the ends of her hair, "I think you made the right choice." 

"Speaking of choices…" Cass said, watching as Mother and Father seemed to finally be close to leaving. "There is the chance that you might not be able to turn back to a horse…"

"I know." Fidella looked up at her, "But I have faith that things will turn out the way I hope."

"Do you want to go back to being a horse?" Cass asked her, "Because if not...I wouldn't mind having you by my side." 

Fidella broke out into a grin at her confession before it faltered some, "Cassandra, I'm always going to be by your side human or horse." she promised, "But being a horse is who I am...and…" she looked down in embarrassment as her face heated up in a blush, "Max is a horse." 

Cass looked at her in shock, "Wait….this is about Max?" a smirk started to form on her face as she watched the other girl, "So that wasn't a one-sided thing after all?"

Fidella shook her head as she peeked up at Cassandra shyly, "I always liked him, he was always the best horse on the Guard, and he always seemed to give me attention. So many times, I wanted to tell him how I felt, but I was scared."

Cassandra looked at her, completely confused, "He was head over hooves for you, though."

"He was also the lead horse of the Guard, our mission was to protect Corona…" she let out a sigh, "I couldn't get in the way of that, I couldn't be a distraction for him."

Cass nodded as she finally understood, "So, why stay a horse for Max?"

"I'm not doing it for Max." She argued, "Being a horse is who I am, but now that I've had time away from him, I realized how silly I was. Love isn't a distraction; it's a strength." she smiled some, "I learned that from Rapunzel." 

Cass nodded, "I learned that from her, too." she murmured. 

"Hey! Hey, Cassie!" Varian called, from on top of Eden, "We're ready to go when you both are!"

Cass winced a little at the nickname. Andrew soured it for her, and though it pains her to feel that way when Varian says it, it just makes her think of the cruel man that took so much from her. 

"It's Cass, not Cassie," she said, coming up to Eden and getting on the horse behind him. 

Varian tried not to let it show that her words stung him. After all, she permitted him to call her that, though he was always nervous to call her Cassie after all he did to her. He had hoped, now that they were friends again, they could go back to where they were before the darkness consumed them both. He guessed he was wrong. 

"Very well, Cass, not Cassie." he mumbled as he felt her get situated behind him, "Whatever you want."

She felt guilty at the sound of hurt in his voice, but she was sure he would understand.

"Alrighty! Let us set forth!" Father said, holding up his map, and pointed towards what they assumed was North. "Let us go on an Adventure!"


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL COMMENTS! Truthfully, I feel like my writing hasn't been very good recently, so I want to say thank you for the kind words and the encouragement you give me. I always look forward to seeing your comments, they give me so much joy and happiness. So thank you so much. 
> 
> I also want to say thank you to all those who have favorited, followed, subscribed, bookmarked, and kudos this story. I am so grateful for all of you who have read it. Thank you so much. <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!

It was quiet for the first twenty minutes of walking. Everyone followed Father with the map, and everything was tense. Mother and Father appeared to be calm, probably assuming they had the upper hand, and everyone else did not trust the two leading them. Cassandra's hand never left her dagger, and her eyes remained on the back of their heads. They were not leaving her sight! 

Suddenly, the silence broke by the raccoon man that was forced to walk. "Variiaaan!" He whined, looking up at his friend, "I'm hungry."

Varian looked down at the man that was walking next to Eden and raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, buddy, but you're going to have to wait until we get back." 

Ruddiger pouted and crossed his arm, "easier said than done." He huffed, "just because you can go without eating a proper meal, does not mean the rest of us can." 

"Hey, now! I eat!" Varian defended, frowning at him. 

"Those random fruits that just happen to appear in your bag aren't a meal." Ruddiger rolled his eyes. 

"They don't just randomly appear in there!" He glared at him, "I just packed really well."

"Then explain how it's been over a month since we were in Vardaros, and they are still as ripe and fresh as the day they were picked?" Ruddiger asked with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. 

"I-i don't know." Varian mumbled, before shaking his head, "I thought you were hungry, why are you turning this around on me?" 

"Because you never eat anything proper. The last meal you had was at Goat's Milk, and that's not healthy for a growing boy." Ruddiger shrugged and looked ahead. 

"I'm not a boy! I am a grown man!" Varian snapped, fed up with the Raccoon, "look around! Do you see any food around here?" He gestured around him and put his hand down when he saw an apple tree randomly appear, "food that won't be harmful to you?"

Ruddiger looked longingly at the apples and then shook his head, "No." He mumbled, looking down at seeing Varian's temper. 

"I know you are hungry and tired, and you can get away with this lazy attitude as a raccoon, but you are a human now. We are trying to find a way to get Fidella, and possibly you, back to normal, find a way to get out of here so we can go to the Spire where I have to figure out how to reverse the effects of the Mind Mender to save Corona, to save Rapunzel, Eugene, and my father." He took a sharp intake of air and closed his eyes as he tried to calm down, "So please, for once be cooperative and just be patient. Please." 

Ruddiger looked down and nodded, growing quiet. He felt Fidella's hand on his shoulder and cracked a small smile at the horse. 

They continued to travel for a while, and the anger and stress Varian felt slowly left him, leaving him completely exhausted. A few times, he found himself leaning into Cassandra without thinking, before quickly sitting up. If she noticed she didn't say anything. 

Finally, after an hour of traveling, Cass broke the silence between them. "So, you went to Goat's Milk?" She asked; her eyes never leaving their "guides."

"Yeah, met Lou, she was nice." He nodded, a small smile appearing as he thought of the kindness she showed, "Said that if we need help with taking back Corona to let her know, and she will help."

"Sounds about right." Cass let out a chuckle, "she never could turn away from a good fight." 

"She spoke of you very highly." He noted, his gaze flickering down to Eden's reins in his hands. 

"We're friends, good friends." She smiled as she thought of her, "Not as close to Rapunzel, but good." 

"That's..good then." He let out a nervous chuckle, trying to battle the vines of jealousy that sprung up inside of him. He had no reason to be jealous. Maybe it's the fact he thought so highly of her, and he had hoped she felt the same, but first with the "Cassie" thing and now with this, maybe she secretly hated him, and he was just an annoyance to her? If that's the case, perhaps it was a good idea just to leave her alone. 

Cass broke her gaze from Mother and Father when she noticed Varian went quiet again. She felt worried about him. Not only did he not sleep, but from the outburst earlier, he barely ate and was under a lot of stress as well. She wanted to help, but how? She was never the comforter, that was Rapunzel. How can she help him? 

"Var-" she was cut off by a big booming noise and the ground shaking. Eden stumbled back and forth as the earth shook, causing Cass and Varian to jump off and try to steady her. 

"What is that?!" She shouted at mother and father as the shaking got worse.

"its sunset and the plants are growing!" Mother explained as she held on tightly to Father, genuine fear on her face. 

Suddenly, they all were forced to the ground as the floor beneath them sprung up into the air. Varian reached out for Cassandra's hand and forced his head up to make sure Ruddiger, Fidella, and Eden were okay. 

Finally, it stopped, and they all looked around. They all were high up in the sky, being able to see almost the whole garden. 

"That's the river." Father pointed at a small blue line that didn't seem that far away. 

"Great! Once we get down, we don't have that much to get there." Varian smiled, helping Cass up to her feet. 

"Are we on a flower?" Ruddiger asked, looking down at what they are standing on curiously. 

"Indeed, it is! Better not stand too close to the edge though," he said as he and Mother shuffled closer to the middle of the flower. 

"Help!" Fidella screamed as she started to slip off a petal.

"And that is why," Father said, holding mother.

Varian glared at the couple and started to run after Fidella and grabbed her hand before she fell off. She smiled in thanks as he pulled her back up. "Thank you." She murmured and quickly went over to the middle of the flower.

Varian smiled and went to follow when there was another shake as another flower sprung up next to them. His foot slipped on the petal, and he started to slide off with a scream. 

"Varian!!" Cass shouted and ran after him, she reached her hand out to him, but it was too late. 

"Cassandra!!" Varian shouted as he fell from the large flower. 

It felt like slow motion for Cass, watching him fall into the misty unknown below. She heard screams, but it took her a minute for her to realize they came from her.

Cass felt tears form in her eyes as she watched her friend pummel to his possible death. "No." She breathed once he was out of sight, "come back." 

She closed her eyes before turning towards Mother and Father in anger and stormed over to them. "You!" She growled, taking father by the lapels of his jacket, "you knew this would happen!!"

"I-i did not!" He stuttered out, afraid of the fire in the woman's eyes, "the flowers bloom somewhere different every day!" 

"Where is he? Where is Varian?" She glared more heatedly, causing the man in her grip to whimper in fear. 

"I don't know, with a fall like that, though…" he mumbled, "it's doubtful he survived." 

Cass let go of the man and backed up slowly as the tears slowly went down her cheeks. No. She refused to believe he was gone. She was going to find him. But first, they had to get down. 

She wiped her tears and turned back to the cowering man who was holding onto Mother for dear life. "How do we get down?" 

"Well…" he trailed off, still looking at her with fear. 

"How do we get down??" She asked again, seething. 

"I suppose I could try this…" he rubbed the back of his neck, "I would suggest holding on tight."

They looked at him like he was crazy before grabbing onto the petals tightly. He made sure Mother was holding on tightly, then he went to the middle of the flower and tickled the pistil. 

The plant gave off a deep and loud gasp, before falling back down to the ground, dried up and died. 

Everyone looked around, and though they were in the same spot as before, the path looked different thanks to all the large overgrown flowers.

Cass looked around and stared into the direction Varian had fallen in. "I'm coming for you, Varian." She mumbled, her hand on the Cassadrium on her neck, "I promise."


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Life has been hectic and...I have been writing a little bit ahead before I finished this chapter. So, hopefully, the next few chapters will come out sooner. <3 
> 
> I want to say thank you so much to all who commented, you have no idea how much I love your comments and how much they motivate me to keep writing. Thank you so much <3 
> 
> I hope you like this chapter! Enjoy!

Ruddiger was in shock. After years of being with and protecting Varian, he was suddenly...gone. He swore that he would never lose anyone else again, but he was wrong. He failed. He should have known, all he did was fail. Life as a raccoon was never as complicated as a human. 

He silently followed Cassandra, not finding himself to care where they were going. Varian was gone, and he was alone again. 

Fidella walked over to him and gave his shoulder a soft squeeze. He lifted his eyes to meet hers before looking down again. He didn't need pity. He just needed time to grieve the loss of his boy. 

He didn't feel anger, only a numbing sadness. He waited years, centuries, to find Varian. Without him, he had nothing. 

"Ms. Cassandra." Father chased after the woman who was blindly leading the group in the direction that Varian fell in. "Please listen, the young man could be dead or on the brink of."

"But there is a chance he's alive." She said coldly, "I am not leaving him."

"But you are heading for the Waters of instability! Ferocious rapids with spikey logs littering it, making it impossible to get across!" Father continued, trying to get the girl to see reason. "Not to mention, if you manage to cross that, you will have to enter the Dark forest."

"Unlike the flowers that change size, the forest always remains the same. Dark. It's pitch black in there." Mother warned, "Trust me, you do not want to go in there." 

Cassandra stopped and turned on her heels to face them. "I don't care what I have to face." She said calmly, with a threat hidden underneath, causing the couple to look frightened, "I am getting Varian back." 

"But, we don't have a map for the Dark forest!" Father tried one more time, "And we are not going in the direction of the river of truth."

"Well, you will when you return home," Cass said, continuing forward. "We'll come back and find a way to the river."

"Well, if you go that way, you won't need to go to the River," Mather said, looking at Fidella and Ruddiger. 

Cass stopped again and looked at her, "what do you mean?" 

"If they don't drink from the water by daybreak, they will remain human forever," Father said, looking at the human turned animals as well. 

Cass looked at the couple and then at Fidella and Ruddiger. She ran a hand through her hair and let out a sigh. 

"Of course, we could bring them to the river, and you can find the lad and then meet back here," Father suggested, gesturing to his map. 

Cass frowned at him. The last thing she wanted was for Fidella to be with those two, not to mention she still felt uneasy about Ruddiger. Though from the devastation in his eyes, Cass knew that whether he is to be trusted or not, he cared about Varian. 

She walked over to the human turned animals and decided to ask them what they wanted to do. "So, what do you think?" She spoke softly, so the couple of crazies couldn't overhear. 

"I want to be a horse again...but I don't want to abandon you." Fidella said softly, "even if it means staying like this forever." 

Cass frowned, remembering what Fidella said about her feelings for Max, could she let Fidella give up her happiness over a hope that Varian is still alive? 

She turned her gaze to Ruddiger, who shrugged, "I don't care if I'm human or a raccoon. I don't have anything to lose." He mumbled softly, playing with his black gloves in disinterest.

Cass let out a sigh and nodded, "Go with them. They will take you to the river and change you back...well, make sure they take you there."

Fidella nodded, "but what about you? You can't go alone." 

"I'll bring Eden and Owl with me." Cass whistled, and the bird landed on her shoulder, causing the couple who were standing a bit away from them to gasp.

"I'll be fine." She murmured and looked at Ruddiger, "I'll get him back." 

"As a raccoon, I've always felt this connection with Varian. I always knew if he was in danger…" Ruddiger closed his eyes, "as a human, that connection is gone... I don't know if he is alive or if he is dead..."

Cass placed a hand on his shoulder, "I will find him and bring him home. Right now, you need to have a sharp mind so you can protect yourself and Fidella if you need to." 

She looked at them both "take care of each other and watch your backs." She pulled herself onto Eden and nodded to the couple, "you better take them straight to the river, or you will have a far worse punishment than anything Demanitus did to you." 

The couple gulped and nodded, "o-of course! Wouldn't dream of it!" 

"Stay safe." She told her once animal friends before taking off on the path that was paved in black. 

\---

It was quiet as Cassandra and Eden weaved through flowers that towered over them. Cass's heart was beating at the same time as the sound of Eden's galloping hooves. 

She didn't know how long they had been riding, but she knew that they had to hurry before they got caught in the night. She raised her eyes to the sky where Owl was flying, following his direction. 

The flower was pretty high so, Varian would have fallen a great distance away from them, but she refused to believe a fall like this could take him out. She knew he fell from worse and came back fine. He couldn't be gone. What would Rapunzel think if he was gone? What would his father think? 

She shivered. She did not want to break the news to Quirin that his son was dead. He may be a calm farmer, but he had a warrior spirit, and she imagined he was scary when he was angry. Varian seemed to have inherited that trait. 

Cass broke out of her thoughts as she heard the noise of water crashing and beckoned Eden to follow the sound. That must be the Waters of Instability!

They jumped over roots and vines, dodging growing flowers that sprung up late. She could have sworn she heard one shriek in surprise, but she shrugged it off.

She urged Eden faster until they met a roaring rapid. The rushing water crashed against each other, and that alone would have been tricky to cross, but there was another obstacle in the way. 

Thick logs laid in the water, with sharp branches attached to them, spinning as the water urged it to move. The faster the water went, the quicker the logs would spin. The sticks looked like blades, fighting the air and the water below it. If Cass even attempted to cross, she might hurt herself, and she couldn't get Eden across those without hurting her as well.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as Eden moved them and started to head upriver. Cass looked at the horse in surprise and was about to protest when she noticed the determined look in the horse's eyes, and she quieted to let the horse show her what she had in mind. 

Eden lead her upriver to where the waters were more peaceful. The logs in the water still spun, but not as fast, and had short periods when they just sat there. 

Cass smiled and petted the horse's mane before leaping off of her. "Okay." She mumbled and looked out at the river. She counted how many seconds it took before the logs started to spin again and how long it took for them to stop. 

Once she had gotten the rhythm and pattern down, she took a couple of steps back to get a running start before charging for the logs.

She jumped on the first log and then the second, and continued until she made it across the river. She smiled slightly in success and turned her head back toward where the animals were. 

She felt a pang in her chest at the sight before her. Something was missing. Well, more like someone. 

She felt her eyes burn with tears as her hand clasped on the Cassandruim. They will find him. They have to. 

She watched as Eden looked around the area, before taking a few steps back as well for a running start. Instead of leaping on the logs, however, she used her mouth to grab hold of a vine above and swung across the river. 

Cass watched in amazement as the horse did a little flip before she landed on her feet next to her. A slight look of cockiness in her eyes. Cass nodded, impressed. The horse was well trained.

She patted her neck and leaped onto her back, grabbing the reins. She let out a whistle and watched as Owl came flying down, landing on her arm. They were able to cross the rapids. Now they had to go through the Dark Forest. 

"Varian, you better be alive," Cass mumbled as they headed down the river toward the direction they came in.


	17. Chapter 17

It wasn't common for Cassandra to be bewildered by much, but a random wall of just black seemed off-putting. It wasn't a wall of fire, it wasn't fog or anything like that, it was just black. 

"This must be the Dark Forest, what do you say?" Cass looked at her animal companions before looking back at the darkness.

"Hoot!" Owl called, landing on a sign next to the opening. 

Cass walked over and ran her hand over the words to clear away the dust. 

_"It's needed in times both dark and light.  
That which can be lost and found  
Cause affliction and elation  
Easy to ignore yet hard to express  
Unlocks the light to guide your way."_

"It's a riddle." Cass mumbled and looked back at the darkness, "do you have the riddle to get through the dark?" 

"Hoo!" Owl said again, flying to a sign on the other side of the opening. 

Cass walked over and frowned, "another riddle?"

_"Hidden in the shadows lies a beast barely seen  
Who roams about the world to act like a king  
They are many in number yet singled out in pride.  
Suborn one and watch as they divide."_

"That must be it…" she mumbled, walking over to the darkness and placing her hand on it, only for it to go straight through. 

"No, not a key…" she mumbled, "doesn't matter, we should go through."

She grabbed Eden's reins and walked through the darkness only for her hand to get stuck on the outside. She poked her head through and saw neither animal could go through. "It must be enchanted for only a human can come through...sorry guys. Stay here and keep watch." 

Seeing them both nod, she fully emerged herself into the pitch-black forest. 

\---

Cassandra walked for a while, her arms outstretched as she tried to maneuver through the dark. How was she ever going to find Varian in there?

Suddenly, a little light flashed past her in the dark. What was that? 

Quickly, she placed her hand on her sword and chased after the light. "Hey, wait!"

"Life's not been easy" she sang, her eyes never leaving the light, _"It's a struggle every day,"_

She stumbled and tripped, but she was determined to catch that light. _"Longing for something simpler."_

She winced as a branch scraped against her arm, _"But something stands in my way."_

She looked around in the darkness, looking for the light again. When she saw it, she started to chase it again, _"Been through so much heartache."_

Her hand clenched around her necklace as she lost the light again, _"I've grown used to it."_

She felt her anger spike in her chest, how dare the light leave her? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, _"I'm trying to keep my temper,"_

She felt herself start to calm down as she took a deep breath, _"or my sanity is a stake."_

She opened her eyes and started to walk forward, her hands guiding her once more. _"Trying to find my destiny."_

She winced as she ran into a tree head-on, but moved past it, _"thought I could be free."_

She stopped again and let her hand brush the Cassandruim, _"but the journey feels empty…"_

She shook her head and kept moving, _"Now it's a trudge through the dark."_

Cass jumped back when the light was suddenly in front of her. It floated around her before flying away once more.

She smiled at the light and started to chase it again, _"I want to be a hero."_

She took out her sword and started to slice through the branches in her way, _"I want to save the day."_

She leaped over a fallen tree, _"I want to be the bright light"_ she looked around for the light again and smiled when it stopped as if waiting for her, _"When the skies turn dark and gray."_

The light moved and circled around her head before flying in front again, _"I want the stars to guide me."_

She let out a joyful laugh, _"I want to feel complete"_ she spun around and jumped over another root, _"Put my past behind me."_

She laughed again as the light circled her again, she hadn't felt that gree in so long, _"And make the day anew."_

She watched the light stop in the middle of the forest, she needed it, she wanted it. _"As I follow the beams of the moon."_

Suddenly, the light changed from a pure white to a blue, and all Cass felt was pain and sadness. Varian! "I lost my friend...my good friend. My best friend?"

She wiped the stray tears on her cheeks and growled in angry as the light turned red. 

She felt a blinding rage fill her, and all she saw was red. _"I feel so angry."_

Varian didn't deserve this, and if he was dead, she knew no one would be safe from her wrath. _"I want to rip the world apart."_

It's those two idiot's fault! She was going to kill them! _"And just frankly? I want it to know it left a permanent mark."_

At that, the light flickered out and left her there alone in the darkness, _"The dark keeps on coming…"_

She fell to her knees and bowed her head, _"it's swallowing me whole,"_

Tears once again appeared in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself, _"No light left within me.."_

She closed her eyes and sang, _"I feel it's cold pull…"_

She sniffled and wiped her eyes, gazing around the darkness, hoping to see something that would lead her to Varian.

_"I wanted to be a hero…"_ she sang softly and stood up. She needed to find Varian.

"Hello, my darling!" Cassandra heard a voice say behind her, causing her to freeze and slowly turn around. 

She gasped in shock at seeing the dark-haired woman in a red dress, "mother?" 

"Oh, Cassandra!" Gothel placed a hand on her chest, "look at you! You look so much like me! Not exactly, and nowhere near as beautiful, but a fair, more plain-looking me."

"Mother, i...how?" Cass asked, taking a step away from her, not trusting her. 

"Forget the hows, they only get in the way and are quite annoying." Gothel said, running her hands through her hair, fixing it, "oh, what I would do for a mirror." 

"Who are you?" Cass asked again, taking out her sword and pointing it at her mother. 

"You never were the brightest, were you? Stop being a dum-dum and come with mum-mum." Gothel looked at her, before letting out a laugh, "I'm just teasing! Stop taking everything so seriously!"

Cassandra kept her sword on her, but her grip wavered. That sounded like her mother. 

"Come with me, I have something to show you!" Gothel waved her hand, beckoning Cass to follow her. 

Cass took a deep breath before following her mother into another part of the woods. She gasped in shock when she saw the light appear again and brightly lit a stone hovering in the middle of the forest. 

"Is that…?" Cass gasped, "how is it here?"

"Yes, my darling, it is the Moonstone." Gothel nodded, "take it, and we can be together, forever. Just like you've always wanted." 

Cass stared at the stone before shaking her head, "no, I can't." 

"It will be okay, Rapunzel doesn't have the sun drop, she will not defeat you." Gothel said, "just take it."

Cass shook her head and turned her back on her mother only to see Rapunzel.

"Raps!" Cass gasped before she noticed the look on her face. "Raps?"

"Do you honestly expect me to believe you changed?" Rapunzel asked, circling her best friend, "so quickly after losing the Moonstone?"

Cass stared at her in bewilderment, "Raps, please, listen. I was conflicted the whole time I had the moonstone, Zhan Tiri, she amplified my anger and-"

"Save it." Rapunzel raised her hand, "I don't want to hear empty excuses, especially when you are about to retake the moonstone."

"Rapunzel, please, it's not like that. I'm trying to get Varian so I can help save Corona." She tried to explain. 

"Save Corona?" Eugene asked as he stepped up next to Rapunzel, "You? What Corona needs is to be saved from is you."

"That's not true." Cass clenched her fists and backed away from them only to trip on something. 

She looked down to see Varian, looking pale and lifeless, his eyes were closed. He almost looked like he was sleeping. "No!! Varian!" 

"You did this." Quirin said, stepping up to her from the shadows, "you killed my son!" 

"No! No!" She shook her head, "I'm trying to save him!"

"You let him down, just like you let me down." Rapunzel said, "You hurt me, but let's be honest, you hurt him the most."

"No, I...he understands." She backed away, her eyes never leaving Varian's unmoving form. 

"First, you broke your promise to him and caused him to lose the expo...why?" Eugene came close to her and whispered, "you were selfish."

"Two." Rapunzel continued where Eugene left off and walked closer to her, "you turned your back in his time of need. I had an excuse, you didn't. I thought you were his friend?"

"That's not fair!" Cass growled, her gaze snapping to Rapunzel. 

"You know what isn't fair?" Rapunzel met her gaze full-on, "You kidnapping Varian, used his truth serum on him, putting him in a cage and putting him on a fragile rock way up in the sky...but you know what the worst part was?" 

Cass felt her gaze waver as the guilt came rushing at her at once. She knew what the worst part was, but she didn't want to hear it. 

"The worst part was... I never stopped holding my hand out to you. Never stopped trying to help you." 

Cass froze as the lifeless Varian's eyes opened and shifted to her, causing a chill to run up her spine. "Varian I…"

"I could have saved you right then and there, but you had the hunger for power and were blind by your hatred," Varian spoke lifelessly. No emotion, nothing. 

"You're right...but I changed." Cass knelt down next to Varian, trying to plead with him to understand. 

"You changed?" Varian turned his head to look up at the sky, "You're the same...still selfish...You are nothing more than a villain." He whispered before he stilled, his eyes glazing over. 

"No, no no.." Cass shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks. "Varian, I will save you. I have to...please don't leave me."

"Cassandra, take the moonstone." Gothel said, "everything you fear will go away. Everything will be as it should be."

"No." Cass said coldly, "No!" She turned to face her mother. 

"You heard what they thought about you!" She accused, "with the moonstone, you can force their respect, prove your worth to them!" 

"No." She stood up and stared at her mother in the eyes, "I am done living in the shadows and the fear that you created." 

She looked at her mother with anger surging from the heat of her gaze, "You may be my mother by blood, but you are not my family. I don't need a trinket to be happy. I just need…" she paused when she realized what she needed was also the answer to the first riddle "love!"

She took a step closer to her mother, "the love of my friends." 

Gothel slowly started to age as she walked closer, "Cassandra!" She gasped in horror.

She took another step, "the love of my family."

"No! No!" Gothel screamed, pulling the hood over her head to hide her gray hair and old face. 

"But most importantly." She stepped up to her one last time, "I need to have a love for myself." 

Finally, with those last words, Gothel fell into a pile of ashes and was blown away in the breeze.

"And show the people I love that they matter to me." She finished, turning to see the others turn to ash. "Love is the light to lead me through the darkness."

At that, the light expanded and filled the forest, showing her all around her. She was surprised to see how close she still was to the entrance. It felt like she wandered for hours in the darkness. But at the sight of Eden and Owl's silhouette, she felt a calmness rush over her. They were safe.

She looked to where Varian once laid and gasped; it was his cloak! She knelt down and picked it up, hugging it close to her chest. He was close, he had to be. 

She wrapped the brown, tattered fabric around herself for safekeeping before continuing on through the forest.


	18. Chapter 18

Everything felt like it was in slow motion as Varian fell. He heard the screams and cries coming from Cassandra and watched as her form became smaller and smaller.

Was this how he was going to die? In all honesty, he was disappointed, but not surprised. He fell quite a lot but was usually saved by someone. This time there wasn't anyone to catch him. 

As he fell, his life passed before his eyes. The pile of good things and the pile of bad things, and he couldn't help but feel regret. He didn't live up to his greatest potential. Corona was still in peril, he failed. He failed Corona, Rapunzel, Eugene, his father, Cassandra, and everyone else who was counting on him. 

If he was to die, he should have died protecting his home, not falling from a stupid flower! 

It's almost poetic. He initially fell morally because of a flower, and now he was to die from falling from a flower—the irony.

At that thought, he suddenly hit another flower that sprung up from the ground. He did his best to grab hold of it but slipped off that one as well.

He hit and slid down flower after flower until he fell face-first through the tops of trees and landed on the ground with a hard thud. 

Pain

That's all he felt, so much pain. 

It was so excruciating that he wanted to lay there and just sleep. Maybe death wouldn't be that bad? 

"Varian," a voice sang in the darkness, causing him to lift his aching head, looking for the source.

"Who's there?" He asked the darkness, slowly putting weight on his arms to try and push himself up. 

Suddenly a bright light appeared, dancing in the darkness. He felt an overwhelming need to follow it, but when he got to his feet, he almost fell in pain. He must have hurt his leg. 

Using his hands, he let them wander down a tree, looking for a big, long branch, before ripping it off and using it as a crutch. 

A loud screech filled the forest. It sounded like a scream of pain. Varian's heart pounded in his chest in fear when the light appeared before him bright red. 

"W-what happened?" He asked the light, "what was that?" 

The light spun around his head before heading into the darkness. 

Varian leaned on his crutch and followed the light through the darkness into a clearing. Trees and flowers loomed all around him, but nothing had grown in that spot. 

"Varian!" A voice said, causing him to look behind him and gasp. 

"Dad!"

Varian's dad came out of the shadows, only to be held at knifepoint by Andrew. 

"Hello, Varian." The Saporian said to the younger man, "glad to see you join the party if you get my point." 

"Let my father go." He seethed, clenching his fists in anger. "He is an innocent man."

"Innocent man?" Andrew laughed as he circled Varian, "your father was part of the Brotherhood of the Dark Kingdom, the right hand of the king, do you honestly believe there was no blood that was shed because of him?" 

"Varian…" Quirin started but was cut off by Andrew again. 

"But, he may have been a warrior, he's still a coward. Running to Corona to be a simple farmer when he could have helped his kingdom, could have protected it." Andrew squeezed his shoulder, causing the aging man to cry out. 

"Dad!!!" Varian shouted, tears forming in his eyes from the horrible scene before him. 

"Have you never wondered why he ran? Why he became a quiet man who never got involved in anything? Who was willing to lie to the king about the state of Old Corona?" Andrew shoved Quirin down to his knees.

"He..he wanted to protect me," Varian mumbled, trying to hold back the tears, refusing to let Andrew see him cry. 

"Protect you? Or protect them from you?" Andrew chuckled before pulling out a familiar-looking beaker of an amber-colored liquid. 

"No! What do you want?" Varian let out a sob, holding his hand out to his dad. 

"To see your face when I get my revenge." The man-bun wearing man smirked and dumped all of the contents in the beaker on Quirin. 

"No!!" Varian went to move closer, but the pain in his leg was overwhelming. He blinked back the spots in his eyes and couldn't do anything but watch his dad be encased in the Amber once again. 

"Varian!" A new voice said from behind him.

"Ah, Cassie, my old flame." Andrew said with a smirk, "how are you doing?" 

"I've been better." She growled, coming in front of Varian with her sword pointed at Andrew.

"She doesn't like being called that," Varian growled.

"What?" Andrew looked at Varian in confusion.

"She is Cass, not Cassie." Varian corrected, causing Cass to smirk and attack Andrew. 

Their weapons clang against one another until Andrew reached out and pulled the Cassandrium from her neck. 

At the sudden confusion and distraction, Andrew took that moment to drive his blade through Cassandra. He let her drop to the ground and wiped his blade on the front of her vest. "So long, Cassie."

"No!! No!" Varian screamed, seeing Cassandra become still. Anger and agony filled him, Andrew was going to pay for what he has done. He hurt and killed the two people he loved, and he refused to let him get away with it. 

"Psst!" A new voice said from next to him, causing him to blink in surprise at his 14-year-old self standing before him.

"What, how?" The 20-year-old asked 8n shock.

"Forget how," The younger one said, waving his hand, "that man destroyed everything from you and has caused you pain. Thankfully, I know how to stop him."

"Y-you do?" Varian gasped in surprise, "how?" 

"The Sun Drop…" the younger Varian gestured to the brightly glowing golden flower, "take it, and Andrew will be gone forever. Everyone you love, and every dream you have in your heart will come true...all you have to do is take it." 

Varian looked away and looked at the Amber that contained his father and the lifeless Cassandra. Before shaking his head, "I-i can't, I have to get to the Spire and get the...the thing..to save..um." he frowned as he couldn't remember why he was there. 

"Take the flower." the younger Varian whispered.

"There's a queen who is in trouble…" he looked back at his younger self and then the flower. 

"Take it." The younger Varian urged, the smile on his face turning into the wide grin of Zhan Tiri, "take the flower." 

Memorized by the golden light, he reached out and grabbed it. 

At the smallest touch, pollen flew from the flower and into his face. It smelled nice, warm, inviting. The world around him fell away, and suddenly he was…" Home," Varian grinned as all his heart desires were before his very eyes. For the first time in a long time, he was happy. 

\----

Cassandra walked through the trees, her eyes scanning the area for any clues if Varian might be there. The darkness may have been gone, but the forest was still haunting. 

Everything seemed the same as a typical old forest, but the trees. the trees looked like they were screaming. Engraved in the trees were two small circles and one large circle that looked like eyes and a mouth. The branches looked like they were reaching out, trying to grab her. 

She felt a chill go down her spine, the farther she went, the more realistic the engravings appeared. 

She stopped when she was suddenly in a garden full of flowers and vines. It was beautiful, but the pollen that sprayed from the flowers didn't look trustworthy. 

She took Varian's cloak, and pressed it to her nose, trying to block out the pollen. She pushed forward into the garden, but the appearance around her suddenly changed.

Cass gasped when she saw it took the appearance of the inside of Varian's home. She shook her head and made sure her makeshift covering was secure on her face. 

"Varian?" She called and headed towards the figure in the middle of the room. 

She reached out and grabbed his shoulder but was shocked to see he was slowly turning into a tree similar to the one she saw outside.

"Oh, Varian…" she whispered in horror. She shook him a little more roughly than she probably should, but she needed him to break from this spell he was under, "Varian!"

Finally, his gaze flickered over to hers, and he let out a gasp at the same time she did. Though his gasp was of joy and hers was of fear. His bright blue eyes were now purple and slowly turning a bright pink the longer the pollen had a hold of him. 

"Cass!" He grinned happily and gestured around him, "We did it! We're home!" 

"Varian, we're not home." She placed both hands on his shoulders and tried to get him to look at her, but his gaze flickered everywhere but her, "We need to leave, Varian." 

"Leave? Why would I want to leave?" He gently pushed her out of the way so he can gesture to his perfect world. "My dad's safe and happy." He gestured to the illusion of his father, and what also seemed to be her father, talking and sharing a good laugh.

"Rapunzel and Eugene are safe and with princess Lettie." He gestured to the royal couple in the corner of the room, snuggling and playing with their precious child.

He then pointed to a wall covered in awards and trophies, "Just look at all the prizes I have won for my breakthroughs in science! Some for my inventions and most for Alchemy!" He clapped his hands happily. 

"You know, Alchemy has always been my passion." He smiled softly, "I liked inventing too, but there is something about pouring compounds together to create something new." 

Cass was shocked that he was suddenly talking so passionately about alchemy, she almost thought that he had broken from the spell. However, the pink that was still in his eyes told her differently. 

"I was so sad when I had to give up my research." He spoke sadly, "all my Alchemy did was cause destruction. So I focused on inventing instead and became the Royal Engineer. I still use what I learned in alchemy with my inventions, but I dare not use too much of it... I don't want to hurt anyone else…" 

"Varian…" Cass said, placing her hand in his, trying to get his attention on her. 

"And after my wall of trophies, there is my most prized portrait of our wed-" Varian was cut off again by Cass shouting his name.

"Yes, dear?" Varian smiled at her, the purple in his eyes now almost entirely pink. 

"Varian, please listen to me…" she pleaded as Varian turned his gaze away to look at the scene before him, a happy smile on his face as a small dark-haired child walked into the room holding a stuffed raccoon. 

"Oh, Varian." She whispered, focused on how the tree that trapped him was almost to his chest. 

She squeezed his hand and closed her eyes as she tried to think of a way to save him. _"I've been there before."_ She sang softly, racking her brain of how to break him out of this. 

_"Wanting so much,"_ she licked her lips and took a deep breath. "more..."

She squeezed his hand and took another deep breath, _"but you are a hero."_

She paused, not seeing much of a reaction, just Varian staring at the toddler that now stood in front of them. 

_"You can save the day"_ She sang and stepped in front of the child. She placed her free hand under his chin and raised his face so he could look into her eyes. 

_"You are my bright light."_ She smiled when his eyes couldn't break from hers, and blue flickered around the pink. 

She was taken aback at the tears that appeared in Varian's eyes. She cupped his cheek and wiped the tear that fell. _"When the skies turned dark and gray."_

"Cass.." he whispered, but the spell fought back, and his eyes turned pink once more. 

She shook her head and walked closer to the house. As she did, the illusions disappeared, so it was only her and Varian in his "childhood home." 

"I know its easy to want it to be real," she said, gesturing around her, trying to get him to see that it's not real, "but trust me, giving in won't make your dreams become a reality, it will just feed the nightmare that is holding onto you."

She walked closer to him again and started to sing once more _"You are the star that guides me."_

She looked away and pulled her right hand close to her chest, rubbing the Cassandruim gently. _"And helps me feel complete."_

She looked up at him and felt tears build in her own eyes as the tree slowly closed around his arms, _"Let's put the past behind us"_ she sang brokenly as she walked over to Varian again and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. _"And...and.."_

If Varian were going to be stuck there forever, she wouldn't let his final moments be alone. She hugged tighter when she felt his chest become hard as wood. "Varian…no." She let out a quiet sob. 

Slowly, the hard became soft and warm again, as arms closed around her. _"And follow the beams of the moon..."_ Varian sang quietly, his eyes closed as tears fell from them. 

Cass gasped and lifted her head to look up at her dear friend. "Varian!" She pulled him closer in a hug. That is two times she almost lost him, and she refused to let it happen again. 

"Cassandra." He mumbled, utterly exhausted as the tree that once held tightly to him fell away, drying up. 

Cassandra helped him keep his balance when he was about to fall, being his support. "You okay?"

"I hurt my leg in the fall." He grunted out, gritting his teeth in pain. 

"I got you," Cass said, holding onto him, only for a loud screech to fill the forest. 

"We should go," Varian suggested a tremble in his voice. 

"I wholeheartedly agree." She said, looking at him before helping him quickly through the forest. 

Things seemed fine until they realized the light was chasing them, urging them to go faster. 

The trees let out a screech and moved their branches, trying to block their way and to grab them. 

Cass tried to jump over one, but Varian tripped and fell, resulting in both being grabbed by the trees. 

"Cass!" Varian shouted, reaching his hand out to her, but it was to no avail, they were trapped.

"Hidden in the shadows lies a beast barely seen…" Cass mumbled, remembering the other riddle when it suddenly hit her. "Oh no…"

"What? What is it?" Varian asked her, squirming in the tight hold the branch had on him.

"The trees...why they look so terrified, why animals aren't allowed in the forest, it all makes sense." She looked at Varian in horror. 

"No…" Varian gasped, getting what she was hinting at, "The trees are humans?" 

"And you were turning into one of them…" She gasped in pain as the tree squeezed her tighter. 

"Why, though?" He grunted out his question, only to see the light come near them. 

Right at the last moment, the light changed forms into a big black bird with big claws and sharp beak. It flew around them before landing on the branch that held Varian. It tilted its head at him. 

"Hey, little guy!" Varian smiled at the bird, trying to seem friendly. 

"Varian...didn't Mother and Father say there were no birds here?" Cass asked, "And that they were the only humans that lived here?"

"Yeah? Why?" Varian asked her, looking her way. 

"I think I know why…" she said, staring at the bird as the bird turned it's head to look at her and let out a loud and angry squawk. It spread its wings and charged right at her. 

"Cassandra!!"


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so I want to say thank you so much for your patience with me. I have been busy and struggling to find the motivation to write. I was trying to figure out where I wanted to take this story from here and how to connect where I last ended it to where I want it to go. I think I finally figured it out, and I hope to have it written soon. 
> 
> Thank you all for the comments and support. I hope this chapter and the chapters to come live up to your expectations and enjoyment. 
> 
> I love you all,
> 
> Shay

"Cassandra!!" Varian shouted as the Bird zoomed right at Cass. He squirmed in the hold of the tree until his hand found the dagger on his belt. 

He made sure he had a firm hold on the knife, before plunging it into the tree, resulting in a loud shriek. "Thank you, dad." He mumbled.

The Bird flew past Cassandra and flew around, so he was going towards Varian instead. 

"Varian!" Cass cried, trying to wiggle herself loose, but the branch just squeezed tighter. 

"Heh, yeah...should have thought this through." He mumbled as the Bird flew right at him. He closed his eyes, waiting for the impact, but nothing happened. 

Slowly he opened one eye and then the other and blinked at the Bird that was sitting on the branch next to him. "Hello…" he tried again, awkwardly talking to the Bird, "Lovely forest...is that your forest? It's very...lovely. Very dark and tree-filled." 

"Varian, I don't think you're helping," Cass grunted out, irritated. 

"I don't see you doing anything!" He defended, but he was cut off but a loud squawk next to him. 

Both their attention snapped to the Bird as it started to squawk more and more loudly. It echoed through the whole forest, and then the trees began to shriek along with it in ear-piercing sounds. 

"And here I thought my concussion induced headache was bad," Varian complained, wincing at the noise. 

"You're not the only one." Cass gritted out, wiggling herself in the tree's hold. "Don't you have Alchemy or something that can release us?"

"No." Varian growled in frustration, "they were all in my bag in the other world." He sighed, moving his hands over his pocket only to realize there was a ball-shaped item in there. "Or maybe not…" 

Cass looked over to him, urgently, "throw it!" 

"I don't know which one it is, though!" He frowned at her, "I don't want to harm you if it's one of my more dangerous ones, but if it's my lesser powerful ones, then we're doomed." 

"Stop overthinking and just use the stupid thing!!!" Cassandra shouted at him.

"Fine." Varian grabbed the ball from his pocket and crushed it against the tree that had a hold of him, "please don't be a bath bomb, please don't be a bath bomb." 

He heard the sound of burning first before the tree let out another shriek in pain and dropped Varian. 

Varian let out a pained cry as he landed on his bad leg, but quickly shook it off and looked up at Cass. "I'll get you down!" 

"How? You only had one ball!" She exclaimed, wiggling in the tree's hold even more. 

Varian took his dagger in his hand and stared up at the Bird that was flying towards him. "Let go of my friend!" 

"I think we established that the bird does not know what you are saying!" Cass called down to him, frustrated. 

As the Bird neared him, he swiped the knife at the Bird and watched in shock as the Bird turned to smoke as soon as the blade made contact. 

Varian blinked and coughed from the smoke, but quickly limped over to the branch that held Cass and started to saw on it with the dagger. 

The tree made a horrified shriek and dropped Cass as Varian got pretty deep in the branch. Cass landed on her feet and stared at the trees, "the trees are alive and were humans...they feel pain." 

Varian paled when he realized all he did to the trees since he came into the forest. "Do you think that's why the bird was after us because we-I hurt them?" He looked at Cass. 

"Its hard to say for sure, but we need to get out of here now before something else happens to us." She said, grabbing his arm and wrapping it around her shoulders to help him get through the forest again. 

They were near to the entrance when they heard a squawk behind them and saw the Bird had come back, with smoke trailing behind him in a haunting way. 

"I think we should run," Varian said, his eyes wide with fear. 

"Less talking, more doing!" She replied and started to pick up the pace by picking Varian up and carrying him. 

"What are you doing??" Varian shouted, wrapping his arms around her neck as she ran. 

"Oh, don't let your pride get in the way! Now shut up!" Cass snapped at him as she jumped over roots and plants until they were back at the entrance.

Cassandra looked behind her and noticed the dark smoke reshaping into the Bird. She tightened her grip on Varian before making the plunge through the wall of darkness.

Varian let out a joyous cry when he saw his beloved horse, "Eden! You are a sight for sore eyes!" 

The horse stomped her hooves happily and trotted over to them. Once she was close, she nuzzled her nose against Varian's hand affectionately. 

"Yes, he's alive," Cass said, glancing behind her and noticing the wall getting smaller and smaller. "We need to go." 

She threw Varian on top of Eden and hopped on behind him. "Okay, Eden, let's see how fast of a horse you are." 

With a snort, Eden ran her hoof in the dirt before running as fast as she could. All around them, the landscape was changing. Some flowers sprung up, others fell dead, but all of them had something in common; they were all shrieking. 

"I get the feeling the forest isn't an isolated area," Varian mumbled as he stared at the Bird that was following them. "I think that it's connected to the garden." 

"Oh, what gave you that idea, genius!" Cass snapped at him as she tried to get the horse to go faster. "And you said this place wasn't magical!"

"It isn't! Saying something is magical is just a cop-out when you don't understand-" Varian was cut off as a flower fell in front of them. 

"No time for your passion-filled lectures!" Cass grunted as Eden stumbled back from the vibration of the flower. 

"They weren't lectures," Varian grumbled, only for Cass to hold her hand out to quiet him. 

"Shh." She listened and realized that the rapids were next to them under the fallen plant. "At least one thing will be easy today." She mumbled, before directing Eden over the stem made bridge. 

They stopped once they were on the other side of the river and let out a sigh when they realized the shrieks stopped, and the Bird was nowhere in sight.

"We lost them." Varian smiled some and let out a big yawn. "Do you think it has something to do with the water? Or do you think its because the sun shines more on this side?" 

"Shh." Cass placed a finger to his lips, "we don't know if we really lost them. We need to ride more until we have some distance between us and the forest."

"Right, sounds good." Varian nodded only to wince and unintentionally placed his head against her shoulder. 

Surprised by the weight, Cass glanced down at the young man in front of her and allowed herself to let her eyes wander.

He looked different than when she first saw him again. His hair seemed longer, and the scruff on his face seemed to have grown into a full beard, but with the dirt on his face, it was hard to tell. The bags under his eyes seemed darker and more prominent, and it worried her. How can he look so different after only one day? 

"Oh! Sorry!" He apologized quickly, moving his head away when he realized what he did, his cheeks turning red. "I didn't mean to..um.."

"It's okay," Cass reassured him, her gaze going back to weaving them through flowers and roots. 

"Yeah, it's okay..wait, it's okay?" Varian looked at her with surprise, Cass never was a 'touchy' kind of girl. The occasional shoulder pat seemed to be the most she does. Rapunzel gets a hug occasionally, but that is with a lot of coaxing.

She shrugged again as she slowed Eden to a stop. She let her eyes wander the area, trying to navigate where they were. 

Varian stared at the woman. She looked tired. Hopefully, they will find a way out soon so they both can have some needed rest. 

Cassandra started to move Eden once again, heading east. "The river was this way, and that was where the others were heading, it would be wise to go that way." 

Varian nodded and let out a yawn. He was exhausted. It felt like he hadn't slept in days. But he knew he had to stay awake. He didn't know if the bump on his head was severe, or worse, he'd have another nightmare. 

Cassandra looked down at Varian and then stopped Eden again. "I think we have enough distance. Come one; I want to check your leg."

"Cass, I'm fine." He protested but was silenced by the glare directed at him. He let out a sigh and nodded, "fine."

She jumped off the horse and helped Varian down. She lead him to a rock and had him sit on it. She then pulled his pant leg up and inspected the damage. To her surprise, it didn't look as bad as she thought. It almost looked like it was healing already. 

She ran her hand over it, causing Varian to wince when she brushed against some sore spots. "Well, it's not broken...i think with rest, it should heal quickly."

"If only we had the luxury of time for rest." Varian sighed and rubbed his eyes. 

"Varian, being exhausted won't help save Corona." She pulled his pant leg down and moved to sit on the rock next to him. 

"I'm exhausted either way," Varian admitted, letting out a sigh. 

"What do you mean?" She looked at him curiously, shifting to look at him fully. 

"It doesn't matter." Varian rubbed his aching head with a groan.

"It does, Varian, come on, kid, talk to me." Cass frowned at him, concern for him growing.

He took a deep breath and looked at her, the words on the tip of his tongue before he changed them. 

"You saved me." Varian looked at Cass, "you came back for me…"

"Of course." Cass looked confused at the change of topic and wiped dirt from his face, "it's what friends do, seeing you fall like that... I was scared." 

"You know me, Cassie, I'm indestructible." He joked, before paling as he realized what he just called her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to...it just slipped out."

She stared at him for a moment before a soft smile formed on her lips, "it's okay...coming from you... I don't hate it."

He felt his face heat up, and he looked down at his hands, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Still, though, thank you for saving me." He mumbled, his bangs falling in his face

"I learned a long time ago to never turn your back on someone. Especially when they need you the most." She looked away from him, glancing at the scenery around them.

"Yeah, Rapunzel is literally the queen of that." Varian nodded with a chuckle. 

"I didn't learn it from her." Cass murmured, causing him to look up at her in surprise. 

She moved her hand and took his in hers, interlocking them. "I learned it from you." 

"Me?" He questioned, his cheeks reddening without his consent. 

"You never gave up on me, Varian." She explained, her own cheeks pinkening. "Even when I was the worst person to you. You were always there, giving me a shoulder and an ear. And to make it better, you always seem to know what I feel because you've felt it too. You have no idea how much that meant to me." 

"Yeah, well, I wanted to have a friend...and my mom used to say to have a good friend, you need to be a good friend." He shrugged, wincing from the pain in his shoulder. 

"You have proved yourself to be a very good friend." She smiled softly at him, "Even when I pushed you away, you always had your hand out to me, ready to help me no matter what it meant for you." 

"I would always hold my hand out to you, Cassandra." He whispered, staring into her eyes. 

"And I promise to take it...and never let go." She whispered back, getting lost in the blue of his eyes, "it's you and me until the very end."

He leaned his head slowly towards hers, his eyes flickering to her lips before his mind caught up with his heart. He turned his head and let out a breath, "I think we rested enough."

"Right." Cassandra blinked, surprised by the weight of disappointment that filled her. She stood up and held her hand out to Varian. "Those two fools have our friends and who knows what they actually want."


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you so much for your patience! A lot happened in the last few weeks and I just couldn't find the motivation to write. So thank you for hanging tight as I wrote the beast that is this chapter.
> 
> I knew I wanted it to be epic and action-packed, so I hope it lived up to that and the hype I was giving it last chapter. I hope it lives up to your expectations and more! 
> 
> Thank you again for reading, kudosing, and commenting. All your support is what helps me keep writing, I wouldn't be here nor would we be on chapter 20 without all of you. So thank you!
> 
> Also, during this chapter we passed 100 pages, so TFFC is officially 104 pages long! Can you believe that? It's the longest thing I've ever written! 
> 
> Thank you again and I hope you like the conclusion of the Garden of Desire arc, and I hope you like whats to come with the race to the Spire. Enjoy! <3

Things were surprisingly quiet as they traveled through the Garden. Every now and then, Mother and Father would whisper to one another, and Fidella would pull on his sleeve to point out something that caught her interest. Things were peaceful..but for once, Ruddiger hated it. 

He started to ignore the rumble in his stomach a long time ago, and the weariness felt like he hadn't slept in days, was he that out of shape? 

He let out a small groan as Father made another stop to check the map. He was right as rain. Not a single yawn came from the man. It frustrated Ruddiger, how can this man be so chipper? How can either of them be like that after someone just died? They are just as cold and heartless as he remembered, just like...just like she was. 

He clenched his fists as his thoughts sent him back to that night. The night of betrayal and heartbreak, the night that started it all. 

This is why he liked the whole Raccoon lifestyle. When you ate, slept, and made hot cocoa for a young alchemist, you don't have to worry or think about your past. 

Varian would never know, but he gave him as much comfort as he gave him. He loved Varian so much, he was the only family he had, and now that he was gone, what even is the point in continuing? The mission was over. He had no purpose. 

They walked for a little while longer, and Ruddiger could have sworn he had seen the same rock at least eight times in the last hour. "Are we there yet?" Ruddiger asked, eyeing them suspiciously

"Almost nearly," Father said with a smile gazing at the setting sun. 

Mother held his arm and squeezed it, "Once the sun is fully set, the waters of the river will be at its most powerful." 

"Only then can we use the magical properties to turn you back into your true forms." Father continued the explanation, patting Mother's hand gently, "The darkness is very illuminating in Hortus Summo Desiderio."

"How can darkness illuminate?" Fidella asked, confused, "darkness is just dark."

"You should know by now rules of logic don't work here, Lady Fidella." Mother giggled, only to stop at the sound of loud shrieking in the distance. 

Father met her gaze with a small smirk before grabbing some leaves next to them and throwing them in the air. They watched as they floated in the air before flying in the opposite direction towards the noise. 

"Tsk, tsk, looks like Lady Cassandra got herself into trouble." Father and Mother shook their heads with heavy sighs, "oh, well, we must get you to the river!"

"Wait, what was that? If Cassandra is in trouble, we have to help her!" Fidella frowned at the couple and looked in the direction the leaves floated. 

"No, no we promised her to get you to the River, we can save her once you are a horse again, my dear." Mother walked over to the horse in a human body and linked her arms with her, "it's only but a bit more ahead." 

"Wait." Ruddiger eyed them with a frown. "You seem very eager to get us to the river." 

"It's true." Fidella shrugged Mother's arm out of hers and looked at her, "we know you have a plan, might as well let us know what it is."

"A plan, dear? oh, no." Mother shook her head with a forced chuckle, "we just want to help you turn back before sunrise-"

"Fine." Father cut off Mother, meeting Ruddiger's steely gaze, "you caught us; we are up to something."

"Ah, ha!" Fidella exclaimed triumphantly, "what is your plan?"

Father didn't meet Mother's questioning glance and flickered his eyes between the two. "Protection."

"What?" Fidella's face softened in confusion, "Protection from what?"

"That shrieking you heard came from a creature that is not like any other." Father looked at mother, the former horse, and then lastly looked at Ruddiger to see his reaction, "The Guardian." 

Rudiger's eyes widened at the name and took a step back in shock, "it still lives?"

Mother narrowed her eyes bitterly, "instead of just killing it, Demanitus captured it in spirit form and trapped it here." 

"It became the Guardian of the Garden of Deepest Desire." Father swallowed hard, "the Guardian of Darkness...the jailer of this prison."

Fidella stepped closer to Ruddiger and took a sharp breath, "are you worried it will hurt us?"

"No, it lives in the Dark Forest." Father replied cheerfully, "but it's why the darkness is so powerful here."

"The Dark forest, that's where Cassandra went." Ruddiger glared at the couple.

"Is it? She'll be fine, I'm sure." Mother waved her hand nonchalantly and returned to Father's side.

"Quite so, Mother, quite so." Father agreed, "anyways, shall we continue?"

"No." Ruddiger's glare hardened "you wanted her to go there. You wanted the Guardian to be distracted; why?"

"Because it would try to stop us from using the River." Mother shrugged, "now come along, child."

"No, we aren't going anywhere until you tell us the truth." Ruddiger clenched his fists and grabbed Fidella to stay behind him. 

"See, this is why I liked Zhan Tiri better." Mother said to Father, "she was far superior than Demanitus and brighter than her brother, not to mention more understanding than both." 

"She is not my sister!" Ruddiger growled, fed up with the two, "she lost that privilege when she betrayed Demanitus." 

"You mean when Demanitus betrayed her." Father corrected, popping up behind the two.

"You weren't there; you don't know what happened." Ruddiger argued before taking a deep breath, "come of Fidella, let's go save our friend."

"Very well." Father shrugged, "Oh, look at that!" He pointed at a large purple plant with long vines that looked like tentacles from an octopus. "An Implexa, how lovely."

"Oh, very lovely, Father." Mother agreed, nodding. 

He pulled one of the vines off and threw it towards Ruddiger and Fidella. The tentacle-like vine stretched out and circled the two, binding them together. 

"Now, do follow us for we have to get to the River." Mother said, smirking as the sun fully set, and darkness filled the Garden. 

Behind them, a bright glow shined through the flowers and trees in a bluish hue. Father let out a joyous laugh and pushed the two towards the light. Things were going as planned.

\----

Cassandra stopped Eden when night finally fell. She looked around with a frown; there were no stars or moon in the sky. It was just darkness. 

"What's wrong?" Varian asked, squinting through the sudden darkness, looking behind him for her. 

"It's as dark as the forest was…" She murmured, her hands tightening on the reins. 

As if on cue, a loud shriek filled the whole Garden. They both stiffened, and their breath hitch in fear. Varian placed his hand on top of hers on the reins and swallowed hard. "W-we need to get out of here." he murmured, his heart pounding in his chest. 

"Where?" Cass whispered breathlessly, fear creeping into her chest, "I can't see my hand in front of my face." 

"Anywhere, just go!" Varian urged her, swiping the reins from her hands and urging Eden into the darkness. 

None of them could see where they were going, even Owl flew down and landed on Cassandra's shoulder because it could not see in the pure dark. They went faster and faster until Eden screeched to a halt before she ran straight into a tree. They were trapped with no way to go. 

"Man, I wish Adira was here…" Varian mumbled under his breath, which caused Cass to look at him sharply. 

"Why?" She asked, defensively, "I can get us out of here just fine, we don't need her."

"Oh, it's just last time I was lost in the Forest of No Return, she found me and got me to safety...I just meant that I wish something like that would happen now." He bit his lip, "N-not saying that you cant get us out of here, but neither of us can see and well…. I'm sorry if I struck a nerve or something." he mumbled, causing her to let out a sigh. What was the point of fighting? He was right; the only way they could get out of here was by a miracle.

Cass opened her mouth to speak when a familiar ball of light appeared before them. Both of them let out a sigh of relief at the sight. They were safe. The miracle came. The light will save them, they just had to follow the light, and all their troubles will be gone…

\----

"You see, there is a plan; you were right about that." Father said, steering the two down a path, "this River has special properties, not to restore, but to sacrifice."

Fidella's eyes widened and looked at him, "Sacrifice what?"

"Two lives to free us from our roles so that we can return home. The Guardian requires two humans to care for the Garden, only two and not anymore. If any more steps foot here and are not branded as the caretaker, they meet doom worse than death." Mother explained, "they become one with the Garden."

"As you can see, we've been here for a long time. I think we overstayed our welcome, do you not agree?" Father asked with a chuckle, "Oh, how our bird collection will be lovely, can you just imagine the beauty and the different and vibrate colors! Oh, it will be stunning!"

"Oh it will, it will." Mother agreed, holding onto his arm as he pushed the two towards the River.

"You said it only worked on humans…" Fidella realized, "Why us? We...well, I'm not a human."

"Call it a loophole child." Father shrugged and looked at Ruddiger, "Admittedly, we had planned to draw in you and Lady Cassandra to take our place, but you had to share the apple with the horse, and the young man had to fall to his doom, so our plans had to be adjusted." 

Ruddiger clenched his fists at the mention of Varian. He grit his teeth to prevent himself from shouting at them for being disrespectful. They didn't know how important that young man was. How important he was to him. 

"But thanks to Lady Cassandra, she gave us quite the gift…" Mother smiled, clapping her gloved hands together happily. "She gave us the gift of distraction, we can work, and the Guardian will be none the wiser."

"So that is payment enough for making us lose our dear birds." Father said, smiling, "A fate worse than bird brain...to be conscious but unmoveable." 

"But you, how fitting for the person responsible for us being trapped here." Mother laughed at Ruddiger as father pushed the two towards the River. "Taking our place to spend eternity here with the very creature that killed your parents."

"First of all, do not mention my parents." Ruddiger said in a slow, threatening tone, "And second, this isn't my fault. It's all on you for sneaking around in their lab in the first place." Ruddiger defended, "I was cleaning up after their last failed experiment when you not so quietly snuck in to poke your noses into things that you didn't understand." 

"You were sound asleep." Father narrowed his eyes on the younger man, "you always did slack off."

"Excuse me for getting tired!" Ruddiger scowled at the man, "When you are the assistant of maniac scientists and warlocks, one tends to get tired from having to work odd hours of the day, sometimes even all night!" he complained, "You would think that it is better now, but no Varian is just the same. Working until he passes out basically, it's so tiring."

Father shook his head, ignoring the complaining man, "Still, you are the reason we are prisoners here, so it only fits you take our place." he pulled on the vines around them, moving them faster through the darkness until the bright glow of the River was revealed. 

"At last we will be free from the Guardian, free of this place, free to return to our world where we can see our lovely birds." Mother sighed happily. 

"I'm surprised by how dumb you two people are." Ruddiger sighed, shaking his head, "do you share a brain cell or something?"

They snapped their heads towards him and narrowed their eyes, "you should be careful by what you say, boy." 

Fidella nudged Ruddiger in the side gently, concerned. He flashed her a quick wink before looking back at Mother and Father.

"You've been here how long, and you still don't know?" Ruddiger shook his head with a sigh. 

"Don't know what?" Mother turned to look at him. 

"You're true purpose for being here, of course." He replied, looking between the two. 

"pay him no mind, mother." Father pushed the two roughly to their knees at the bank of the River. 

"True, when they found out what you did, Demanitus and Zhan Tiri were furious." He looked between the two, "Zhan Tiri wanted to kill you for what you did."

"That..that doesn't sound like her." Mother frowned, clenching her fists. 

"Demanitus convinced her that your banishment was the best-case scenario." He tested out the binds around him and sighed when he realized there was no escaping them. "In a way, he was protecting you from a worse fate."

"Worse fate? Staying an eternity here as the Guardian's plaything is not a "Worser fate" than death?" Father growled, his patience wearing thin.

"Don't you see? The Guardian isn't your jailer; you're his." Ruddiger glanced at Mother and noticed the pure shock on her face while Father just looked more upset, "think about it...Demanitus knew how much you loved birds, knew you knew more about taking care of them than anyone, so he put you in charge of the wildest, most exotic bird there is."

Mother looked down, "If that is true, I refuse to believe that it was Demanitus who thought of this." She shook her head, "Zhan Tiri was kind, Zhan Tiri gave us our precious teapot."

"She got the teapot from your half-brother." He looked at Father, "Tromus."

At the name Father turned away, his face betraying the anger he was feeling. "Well, now I know for certain you are lying, Tromus would never have given me anything of the sort." 

"Tromus became one of Zhan Tiri's most faithful followers set to destroy the sundrop," Ruddiger told them, watching both of them take in his words. "He did it so you can return home."

"You lie!! It does not matter what you say." Father turned to them once more, "your feeble attempts at tricking us will not work. I know my brother like I know my own mind. He is certainly not the "family comes first" kind of person. We are getting our freedom, and there is nothing you can do to stop us." 

"Is it freedom you want, though?" Fidella piped up, "With this new light on your situation, it shows you have a purpose here, a sense of duty." Her eyes flickered from father to mother, "You have power. You are the caretakers here, meaning you are in control of this whole place."

At the mention of "power," Mother's eye lit up, and a hunger appeared in her gaze. They hooked her, but Father seemed more stubborn. No matter what they said, he was in denial. He wanted to leave the place no matter what. 

"You think we can control that bird?" Mother asked, curious. 

"No, we can not." Father looked at mother sternly, "We've been here for centuries, do you think we wouldn't have already had complete control if it were true?" 

"But have you tried?" Fidella piped in, as Ruddiger suppressed a snicker. 

Father turned his gaze to them, and something changed from when they first met him. Gone was the charm and the calmness his eyes held. The green was that of a stormy sea. Anger and desperation, he was at his wit's end, and he will not have this smug boy and horse get the best of him. Not again. 

He turned away and walked over to Mother, "Worry not Mother, soon we will be free to rule over more than this sick and twisted world. Soon we will have everything we ever wanted."

\-------

Varian nudged Eden forward, but she refused to budge. She backed away from the light, her hooves bumping into rocks and plants.

"What's wrong, Eden?" Varian patted her neck, "the light is our savior."

"Maybe she doesn't understand; she is an animal after all." Cass shrugged, ready to jump off the horse when she felt a big and hard peck against her head. 

She looked on her shoulder and glared at her animal companion. How dare Owl peck her! 

"You will not prevent us from following the light!" Cass shouted at the bird, her hand going to her sword. 

Owl flew off her shoulder and hovered close, his claws out. He knew something wasn't right about her. She was acting loopier than when she had the moonstone. 

She squinted in the darkness and jumped off the horse. She swung her sword at Owl, who dodged and clawed at her hands. She let out a shout in pain and dropped the sword. "No!" She shouted, her hands looking for the sword in the darkness. 

She looked up and saw Varian still trying to get Eden to move, but the horse would not budge. 

"Go! Giddy up!" He tried, wiggling his body to try and get her to move, "Yip yip! Come on! The light will help us!" 

Cass moved her gaze to the light, only to see Owl charging it full force. "NO!" She shouted, picking up her sword and making a run towards it. 

Owl to its claws and swiped at the light, causing it to turn a bright red in anger. 8t tried to move away, but Owl would not let it get past until finally, the light was forced to reveal its true form. 

The gray smoke the poofed around the creature was the only thing that outlined it in the darkness. The bird opened its wings and let out a screech. It turned its head to Owl and screeched again.

Cass blinked a few times, the spell the light put her under now broken. She squinted In the dark and gasped as the inky bird prepared to fight her beloved Owl. 

Without thinking, she raised her sword and swiped at the bird, causing it to dissolve into smoke once more. Quickly, she jumped on Eden behind a now alert Varian. 

"Where do we go when we can't see?" Varian asked, his voice coming out in a surprisingly deep tone. He was determined. She realized as a chill went down her spine. She kind of liked it. 

Snapping out of her thoughts, she squinted in the dark, and ahead of them, she could see a soft, bluish glow. "There!" She pointed, "There's a light!"

"What if it's that bird creature?" Varian asked, not wanting to be manipulated by that thing a third time. 

"if it is, we can at least get a quick view of where we are before heading into the dark again," she whistled, and Owl landed on her shoulder. "Thanks, boy." She murmured to the bird.

"You trained him well." Varian complimented as he headed towards the source of light. 

"Well, he and Fidella are my sparring partners." She chuckled, giving Owl a bean, "Speaking of...when we get out of here, you and I will have to go over a few things."

"Oh, dad showed me stuff, I'm fine." Varian shrugged, urging the horse faster. 

"That's not what I mean, and you know that." She accused as Eden jumped over roots and vines. 

"I know, but I don't think right now is the best time to talk about this." Varian let out a sigh, clinging onto the horse. 

"Very well, but we will be discussing this when we leave this place." She stated with no room for argument. 

Varian nodded and slowed as they neared the light. "You hear that?" he asked, stopping Eden entirely as they heard a splash and Trinkle. 

"Water! That must be the River." Cassandra gasped, "We have to get to Fidella." She took the reins from Varian and nudged Eden to go forward towards the sound of the RIver. 

"I still can't believe you let them go with those people on their own." Varian frowned, "Who knows what mischief Ruddiger had concocted." 

"I'm sure they are fine, they can take care of themselves." Cass patted his arm, "Ruddiger was pretty upset when you fell through."

He let out a sigh and closed his eyes, "It feels like it was days ago since I last saw him…" he mumbled, "It's weird when you have someone by your side for so long only for them to be gone suddenly."

"I know how that feels," Cass mumbled, and silence passed over them as they rode down the River looking for their friends.

\----

"Is it time yet?" Mother asked impatiently as Father looked up at the sky in thought.

"Well, dear mother, I would say it is the middle of the night." Father nodded and stroked his beard, "The magic in the waters will be at its peak, and at last, we will be free of our bondage." 

"How is it the middle of the night already? Sunset felt like it took days to pass?" Fidella asked, confused, looking up at the dark sky, trying to figure out how they knew what time it was from the deep black and blues. 

"That's because it did." Mother laughed and looked at the girl, "Sunset lasts about two days here." 

"Two days?" Her eyes widen in surprise and shock, "How is that possible?" 

"The concept of time is different from the other world." Father explained, "One day is two weeks in your world." 

"Two weeks? No wonder why I'm starving!" Ruddiger complained with a slight pout.  
"This place makes it, so you don't feel the hunger pains or your tiredness." Mother said, "Once the Guardian has you in its clutches, you either fall to it's bidding or waste away without even realizing you are." 

"With you in our place, you won't have to worry your heads about that, though!" Father said, patting Fidella's head and walked over to Mother. "Do you have the scrolls?"

"Right here." She said, handing them over to him, "Make sure to read the second scroll last, the door won't last long." 

"I know, I know." Father snatched them from her hands and opened the first one. He then grabbed the once animals and forced them into the River, 

Ruddiger shivered as the cold WaterWater splashed on them, he would never admit this to anyone, but he actually had a massive fear of Water. Something about it just didn't work with him, so to be standing in the middle of a rushing river, it just made the beat of his heart speed up. "So this is how it ends...death by water," her grumbled. 

"Quiet you!" Father called to him, only to be interrupted by the sound of a horse and two familiar faces.

"Fidella!" Cass called as she leaped off Eden, her sword already in hand. 

"Varian?" Ruddiger gasped at the sight of his boy, and the terror he felt in his chest lessened, knowing his best friend was safe. 

"Ruddiger!" Varian slowly got down from the horse and quickly followed Cass, trying not to put too much weight on his bad leg, which he found less painful than an hour before. What is going on? 

"What do you think you are doing?" Cass hissed, pointing her sword at Father.

"Turning them back, of course!" Father lied easily, putting his charming smile on his face.

"Ahuh, Fidella?" Cass asked her once a horse friend.

"He wants us to stay here forever to take over the caretaker roles so he and Mother could be free," Fidella informed her cheerfully. 

"I see." Cass narrowed her eyes, "I will give you the count of three."

"For what?" Mother asked fearfully. 

"For a chance to run." Cass growled, "One."

"Please, try to understand-" Mother backed away, pleading with Cassandra. 

"Two." she took a step closer.

"No! We just want to be free!" Mother cried, covering her face in her hands

"Three," Cassandra whispered, fury in her eyes as she raised her sword. 

"No!! We yield!" Mother held up her hands, "We will stay here!" 

Cass paused her attack but kept the sword positioned above her head, "Will you now?"

"Yes! We will even tell you how to leave!" She sniffled, avoiding the glare Father was giving her. 

"What about Fidella and the effects of the apple?" Cass asked her, not moving. 

"The effects wear off at sunrise…" she squealed when Cass moved the sword to her neck. 

"Why should I believe you?" Cass whispered, nicking her neck just a little. 

"Because I don't want to leave!" Mother blurted out, "This was all father's plan to lure you all here so we can be free! Frankly, I like my house and the Garden!" 

"You good for nothing venomed dread-bolted execrable-wretch!' Father growled in anger, "You wanted this as much as I did!"

"Yes, but what will we do once we are there?" She asked him, "What plan do you have for us? Where will we go? Where will we live?"

"I would have figured it out! But imagine the birds!" Father exclaimed, throwing his hands out, "It wouldn't matter where we would go, we would have our freedom!"

"I don't care if we are prisoners or free. I just want you!" Mother moved her head and winced when she realized Cassandra's sword was still there. "I just want to spend all my days with you, Father. I love you more than any bird."

Father stared at the women before dropping the scrolls to the ground and lifting his arms, "And I love you, Mother." 

Varian snatched the scrolls from under them and quickly recognized the language. It was old, ancient. He probably wouldn't have known it if it wasn't for Xaiver. Varian smiled as he thought of the older man, and the smile slowly faded. What happened to him? Was he hiding somewhere, or did Andrew take him? 

He quickly shook his head and looked at the second scroll, holding it against the light to read it. "This is a scroll to get back!" 

"What does it say?" Cass asked, finally moving her sword. 

"It's in an old language, but I think it's an incantation." Varian mumbled, "A lu vag Drgan hoom," he read out loud, "There's no place..like...home?" he translated, and the glow in the River shined brighter and moved from the WaterWater. 

Ruddiger watched the glow leave the WaterWater, but another caught his eye from the man that was reading the scroll. His streak! Ruddiger's heart pounded hard in his chest. He needed to get to him before Father or Mother noticed. They couldn't know who he was! 

Despite the fear that splashed against him in every step, he nudged Fidella to follow him out of the River. He needed to get to his boy. 

Varian watched in awe as the light formed a door right in front of their eyes! But no way it was magic, there had to be a scientific explanation! 

He heard the sloshing of the WaterWater and smiled at Ruddiger as he made it to shore with Fidella. He grabbed his dagger from his belt and cut the vines from around them, freeing them. "I see your fear isn't as bad as when you were a raccoon."

"Oh trust me, I nearly peed myself," Ruddiger joked before looking at him seriously, "We need to get out of here, the door isn't going to stay very long."

Varian nodded and looked at Cassandra, "We need to go." he said to her just as the ground started to shake. 

"What is that??" FIdella asked, fear laced in her voice. 

"That would be the flowers. It's nearly dawn." Mother explained.

"You never said, why is night so short here?" the horsewoman asked her.

"Because there is no sun, or moon, or stars to guide the garden." she replied, "Darkness only has a short time before light kills it."

Just then, a loud screech echoed around them, and black smoke filled the air, "The Guardian." Ruddiger whispered, "We need to go, now." he looked at Varian, "Trust me, that is the last thing I want you to meet."

"We've been introduced," Varian mumbled dryly.

"You survived?' The Raccoon man asked in surprise, before looking back at the bird, "We need to find a way across the river to the door." 

"We'll hold it off." Mother said, a new glint of determination in her eyes, "It's like you said... he's not our jailer. We're his." 

Ruddiger stared at the woman he has always know to be selfish, and felt a twinge in his heart, "Thank you." 

"I'm not doing it for you." She told him before turning towards the bird, "It's time to stretch my wings." she murmured and let out a squawk of her own. They all watched in awe as feathers sprouted from her until she was a majestic, white hawk. "Get back to your forest!"

The Guardian drew up more of the darkness that surrounded them, growing in size, but Mother did not back down. With a loud squawk, she charged at the dark, inky Raven.

"Look!" Varian pointed at the sky as rays of orange streaked through the air. The sun was coming up. 

"Cassandra…" Fidella said as an orange glow appeared on her dark-toned hands.

Cass rushed over to her friend and embraced her, "I'm sorry we didn't spend a lot of time together while you were like this." she murmured to her horse, "But I will always treasure it." 

"I will always be here." Fidella murmured to her, hugging her tighter, "but this was when we talked…" she sniffed, as tears welled in her eyes, "there's something I didn't get to say to you…"

Cass pulled away from the hug and looked at her, curiously, "What's that?"

"I just wanted to say…" she licked her lips and looked into her eyes, "Hello. Hello Cassandra, it is very nice to meet you." 

At those words, Cass pulled her in for another hug and held onto her tightly, "It was good to meet you too." she whispered, holding back her tears. 

At that, the glow filled Fidella's body, and Cass was hugging the neck of her horse. She buried her face in her soft fur, like she did when she was younger and took a deep breath before pulling away. "Welcome back." she patted the horse's nose gently. 

"Wow, that was intense," Ruddiger said, wrapping his arm around Varian's shoulders, causing the boy to look at him with surprise. 

"You didn't turn back," he said thoughtfully. 

"I did not.." Ruddiger looked down at himself before shrugging and smiling at Varian, "You're stuck with me now, Alchemy boy."

"I'm not a boy." Varian narrowed his eyes at Ruddiger, but smiled back, "It will be nice to really get to know you."

"Well, there is one thing you should know that I know," Ruddiger said to him, moving to stand in front of him. "A day in the Garden is the equivalent of two weeks." 

"What?" Varian paled, "That means…"

"Yep." Ruddiger nodded, "It means you owe me a full wagon load of apples."

"Yeah, sure…" Varian mumbled as his mind drifted to Corona and all the horror it must have faced while they were trapped there for those two weeks. 

"It also means you need a shave." Ruddiger tugged on his beard playfully, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Huh?" Varian blinked and raised his hand to his face, "I didn't even notice…" he mumbled in shock.

Suddenly, they all heard clapping behind them, and Father took a step towards them, "Brava, your noble steed is once again just that. However, my ambition has not been satisfied." 

"You just agreed with Mother to stay here," Varian said, walking next to Cassandra and taking her hand in his. 

"I said no such thing." He glared at the young man who's hair glowed when the door appeared, "I'll be fair...you can leave with your pets….but one of you must stay in my place." 

"And if we don't agree?" Cass challenged her hand on her sword. 

"Oh, you will." Father pulled out a scroll and started to read the words out loud. 

All of them turned and noticed the door was slowly fading away. They had minutes to get across before they were trapped there. 

Varian looked over to where the Hawk and Raven were still going at it in an epic fight when an idea struck him. He moved closer to Cass and put his hand in her pocket, much to her surprise, and pulled out a bean. 

"Catch!" He called, throwing the bean at Father, who caught it in surprise.

Catching on, Cass whistled loudly, catching the attention of all the birds, but Owl stayed comfortable on Eden's back as Mother and the Guardian raced toward father for the bean. 

"No!" Father shouted as the Hawk overpowered the Raven and was victorious with the bean. The Raven let out a shriek of anger and released the darkness it consumed, causing the whole Garden to be engulfed in dark smoke.

"Quick! We have to get across!" Ruddiger urged, grabbing Eden's reins and hurrying her across the River. 

Cass quickly followed with Fidella, and Varian followed after them as fast as he could with his bad leg. 

"Hurry, get everyone in there!" Cass ordered as Ruddiger guided the horses through the door before popping through himself.

Cass looked behind her to make sure Varian was there. She paused as she waited for him to catch up. "Hurry!"

"Go! I'm right behind you!" Varian shouted to her.

"You better be!" She threatened, before going to the door. 

Varian was almost to the door when a hand grabbed his ankle, causing him to stumble. 

"No! You must stay here!!" Father shouted, "For Centuries, I've been stuck with this woman; you will give me my freedom!"

Varian struggled in his grip only to freeze when darkness started to encase the man. "No! No!!" He shouted, his grip on Varian tightening." Please!"

He knew he should have tried to help, should have felt sympathy for the man, but he felt nothing. 

He tugged on the man's grip, before kicking him in the jaw with his bad leg. He didn't put too much power in it, but it was enough to stun Father and let him let go of him.

Varian looked at the man one more time before jumping through the door.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stick around to the end, I have a special announcement for all of my readers!!

Coming back was a lot easier than going through the door the first time. Despite the pounding headache, the sudden pangs on hunger in the stomach, and the utter exhaustion, things were okay. 

Varian felt like he was dragging his feet as they made to the field they previously camped at. He hadn't felt like this since he was 14. He rubbed his head and let out a yawn, which prompted a yawn chain from all in the group. 

"I don't know about you, but I think a nice nap and a meal would be the best plan," Cass said, giving Owl a bean from her pocket. 

Varian nodded in agreement as Ruddiger rubbed his hands on his gurgling tummy with a frown, "please! I am starving!"

Varian looked at his once Raccoon with amusement, "when arent you?"

"Do you think time past here the same way it did in the Garden?" Cass wondered, "did two weeks really pass, or has it been a day?"

"I suppose there is only one way to find out," Varian said as they made it to the tree trunk they had camped at. 

"Wait." Cass paused, her arm out to the two men, she frowned and shifted her eyes around the area. "Something's not right…"

"What is it?" Ruddiger asked, worried that they won't get to eat anytime soon. 

Cass looked at him and then at Varian and held up a finger, signaling them to stay. She then approached the campsite with her hand on her dagger. 

She relaxed when she got there, but her eyes widened in surprise. All their belongings were thrown and scattered around as if someone ransacked the place. 

It would have been hard to tell if an animal did this or if it was a human if it wasn't for the fact the bags were still intact. 

Cass knelt by the fire pit they had made and was surprised to see it was still fresh. They were in that world for the equivalent of 2 weeks, but here they couldn't have been gone for maybe a day or two. This was odd.

"No, no, no," Varian mumbled under his breath as he ran to his bag. He peeked inside and let out a sigh of relief when he saw none of his beakers filled with highly dangerous chemicals were broken. Though the relief faded when he realized one crucial beaker was gone. 

"We have to go." Varian and Cassandra said at the same time. 

They looked at each other in surprise before looking away, neither seeing the pink forming on the other's cheeks. 

"Leave? But what about food? Sleep?" Ruddiger complained, "Blimey! We just spent two weeks without it because that bird wanted us to die without realizing we were!" He threw his hands up in the air, "Has everyone lost their minds!" 

Cass looked at Ruddiger, annoyed, and crossed her arms, "we need to leave because our camp has been thrown apart, and all our food is either taken or had gone bad." 

Varian nodded, still worried about what was stolen. He looked in his bag again when he realized the map was also gone. He took a deep breath and threw his bag over his shoulder, "we need to leave now, those who did this could still be nearby." 

Cass looked at him and grabbed her own bag and her bow before leaping onto Fidella's back. "I know you're tired, but we need supplies if we want to reach the Spire." 

Varian ran his hand through his hair before jumping onto Eden's back as well, surprised to see how fast his leg had healed. The pain felt like almost nothing. 

"Where do we even go?" Ruddiger asked, looking at the two on the horses with envy. 

"Fortuna's nearby, we can get supplies and maybe a place to sleep for the night there," Cass suggested causing the two to nod in agreement. 

"Alright, let's go."

\-----

Fortuna was a bit different than Cass last remembered. It was much livelier and filled with smiling faces and music. It almost felt like Corona. 

Cass and Varian shared a look before hopping down from their horses. Ever since they left the forest, everyone was on high alert in case they were being followed. 

Cass kept her hand by her dagger, Varian kept his near his Alchemy balls, and even Ruddiger had a small knife on him that he borrowed from Cass. 

Before they entered the town, Cass suddenly remembered something Important that weighed on her shoulders. She let her hand rub against the fabric of the cloak before untying it and handing it over to Varian. "Here." 

Varian looked at the brown cloak and took it with a small smile. "Thanks, though it looked better on you." He mumbled to her, swinging the cloth of his shoulders, and pulled the hood over his head, hiding the streak. "What do you think?"

Cass looked at him before walking closer and fixing the hood, straightening it. By accident, her hand brushed against his hair covered cheek, and she pulled her hand away quickly with small dust of pink on her cheeks. "You need a shave." She teased. 

He let out a chuckle and nodded, "it's itchy." He complained, causing her to laugh. 

Suddenly, they both heard a huffing and puffing coming from behind them. They quickly turned with their hands on their chosen weapons only to see an exhausted looked Ruddiger., "yeah yeah, beards are bad. Try living centuries as a raccoon and then complain about it being itchy. Can we go please?"

Cass nodded and looked back at Varian, "let's find a place to sleep for the night, then we can have dinner." 

Varian grabbed Eden's reins, "do you know where one is?"

"Probably midtown." Cass shrugged, causing Ruddiger to run past them into town. 

"Lets goooo!" He shouted at them, getting lost in the crowd. 

"swear he will be the death of me," Varian complained to a frustrated Cass who nodded. 

"Who knew you would miss a Raccoon?" Cass grabbed Fidella, and the two of them followed the suddenly hyper man into town. 

…

They found Ruddiger in front of a bit blue house with white shutters and a red door. Above had a faded, paint-chipped sign that said "Inn" in gold letters. 

Varian patted Ruddiger's shoulder in approval and looked to Cass, "what do you think?" 

Cass looked at the building and then looked at the passing people around her before nodding approval. "We should just blend in here."

"Okay!" Varian smiled and took Fidella's reins from her to lead the two horses to a small barn next to the hoses. He gently petted Fidella's hair and let out a sigh. "I'll miss you." He murmured.

He then went to Eden and giving the grey Lipizzan a slight hug around the neck. "Take care of each other." He said to her, wiping some goop from under her eyes, before walking back over to Cass and Ruddiger. 

The inside of the Inn was lovely, with freshly painted white walls and mahogany shelves filled with books and portraits of what must have been the owner's family. 

"Welcome!" A young woman with dark hair and warm chocolate eyes greeted them from behind a desk. She stood up and walked over to them with a broad smile, "I'm Jessica, the owner's granddaughter, how can I help you?"

"We would like rooms, please," Cass said politely, looking at the girl curiously. She had to be around Varian's age, if not younger. The way was she smiled looked like it would hurt, but her eyes shined with genuine friendliness. She knew she shouldn't be suspicious, but with the Mind Mender possibly nearby, she was going to take her chances. 

"I'm sorry, but we only have one room." She looked at the three, biting her lip, "maybe you and your husband can share?" She looked at Cass and Varian, "and I can get extra blankets for your brother?"

"He's not my husband." Cas corrected the girl, causing Varian to look away with a slight frown. 

"Oh, I am so sorry, I just assumed...forgive me." She looked down, shyly, "but I still only have one room."

Cass looked at the exhausted faces if her friends and knew she was ready to sleep when she nodded, "We'll take it."

Great!" Jessica said, handing her the key to their room. "Second floor to the right." 

"Thank you," Cass murmured, turning towards the stairs. 

"I'll come by in a few minutes to bring you some dinner" Jessica smiled at them and stopped Ruddiger before he passed, "do you like apples?" 

"I do…" Ruddiger said slowly, not sure why she stopped him, but at the mention of apples, his heart and stomach sang. 

"Great! I just made a fresh batch of apple tarts I can share with all of you!." She grinned, causing Ruddiger to match her enthusiasm. 

"Sounds wonderful!" He agreed, watching the girl walk back over to the desk. She reminded him of Jane, a girl from Old Corona who was the daughter of a baker. They would always buy apples from Quirin to use in their pastries, and so Varian would deliver them a basket twice a week, and she would always sneak him an apple goodie. He liked Jane. He hoped she was okay. 

With a sigh, Ruddiger turned to go upstairs to go catch up with his friends. 

\---

Cassandra and Varian stared at the single bed, and an air of awkwardness filled the whole room. 

Varian scratched the back of his neck shyly and looked down at the ground, "Y-you can have the bed, I'll sleep on the floor." 

"Oh, no. You haven't slept in days and are injured, you are taking the bed, and that is that." Cassandra shook her head sternly. 

"In all honesty, I doubt I'll get much sleep anyways, so please take the bed." Varian sat his bag on the floor near the window. 

"You keep mentioning that you don't sleep." Cass started walking over to him, "But you always shut me out when I ask you about it."

"Because I don't want to talk about it, Cassandra." Varian crossed his arms with a frown, turning his back to her as he looked out the window, "I've not been able to sleep for a very long time, it's nothing new, nothing to worry about, so please just take the bed." He finished softly, his shoulders sinking. 

"Varian.." Cass started, startled by the pure defeat in his tone. 

"Please.." he all but whispered, he swallowed and looked at her, "i need to make an inventory of what I have and what I'll need to get in town tomorrow." 

Cass watched him for a moment before taking his hand in hers and gave it a soft squeeze, "I haven't been able to sleep well for a long time too." She admitted, catching him off guard, "Maybe...maybe if we share the bed..maybe sleep will be more kind to us?" She suggested. 

Varian was about to protest, but the feeling of her hand in his and the moonlight shining in her eyes, he couldn't help but nod. He couldn't say no to her. 

Cass smiled softly at him and turned towards the bed only to be greeted by the sight of a snoring, young raccoon man. "Well, I guess we both are sleeping on the floor."

"I could wake him up…" Varian said, eyeing the drool dripping from the other man's mouth in disgust. 

"Let him sleep. I'm sure he'll be wide awake when dinner comes." She said, swiping two pillows from behind Ruddiger's head and plopped them on the floor. 

"I still have inventory to do…" Varian said, scratching the back of his head, "do you want to help me analog what basic compounds I need to get?"

"Fair warning, I will have no idea what you are going to be rambling on about...but I'd be happy to." She agreed, picking up the paper and quill from the desk. 

"Let's get started then," Varian said, opening his bag to pull out the different equipment he brought with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATTENTION READERS
> 
> My dearest readers,
> 
> Nothing has brought me more joy than to write and share this story with all of you. We have have had laughs and tears and twists and turns. 
> 
> One of my favorite parts has been seeing your reactions and your comments to this story. It makes me feel happy knowing so many liked it. I am also so grateful for those who kudos it and only just read it. You are all amazing and I love you. 
> 
> Which is why i am pleased to announce, I am starting a Discord server dedicated to this story and my other TTS/RTA works (and works that are still in development) 
> 
> There we can discuss the story and just have some fun together! I'll post some exclusive teasers while im writing the next chapters and you will get to see me and my overexcited brain come up with ideas. 
> 
> But wait, there is more! Are you an artist/writer/Video editor? Have any ideas of your own you want to share? There is a spot for you here! 
> 
> I only ask that you follow the rules, but I think that is a small price for a massive amount of fun and friendship! 
> 
> Love Always,
> 
> Shay 
> 
> Link to Discord: https://discord.gg/6YMDdMh


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but eventful!
> 
> I hope you enjoy the next chapter!! Thank you for reading!

_"One Stone saves another"_

_"keeps someone from dying."_

_Varian lifted his head with a groan and looked around. He was in a field of golden wheat dancing gracefully in the wind. The sky was bright blue with puffy white clouds; it felt so familiar, has he been there before?_

_For the first time in a while, he felt nothing but peace. He wanted to lay his head back and just stay there, staring up at the clouds. He was completely relaxed._

_"Two stones bound together," a voice sang against the wind, "brings peace to those fighting."_

_That song...it was so familiar._

_With a little effort, Varian pushed himself to his feet and looked around. He didn't see anyone, but the voice still rang across the field._

_"Two stones find the other," the voice sang as a strong blast of wind hit Varian in the face. He quickly moved his hair from his eyes and raised his hand to try and shield himself. He needed to find the voice._

_"when the chosen one is crying," he heard from a distance, and he started to run across the field. He needed to catch the voice before it left!_

_"Three stones bound together" the voice was faint now, but Varian refused to give up. His legs felt like lead, and his lungs burned, but he would not stop running._

_"found by love and joy," the voice sang out as the wind started to blow harder against Varian, making it harder to run._

_"One stone."_

_"No!" Varian shouted as he slipped and fell to his knees._

_"Two stones."_

_He felt tears stream down his face. He failed again._

_"Three stones bound."_

_He clenched his fists and took a shaky breath. Why must everything be taken from him? He sobbed harder and curled up into a ball. Why?_

_"Three stones bound," the voice sang in his ear, and he suddenly felt arms wrapped around him, pulling him tight against them._

_Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around them and cried into their shoulder._

_"Shh, it's okay." The voice whispered soothingly, "I'm here."_

_Varian looked up at the voice through teary eyes, "Mom?" He breathed, wiping his nose._

_"I'm here." She whispered, cupping his cheeks with her hands with a gentle smile, "I'm here, Stardust."_

\-----

Varian, for once, wanted to stay asleep. He didn't want to leave his mother so soon. He just wanted to stay in her arms. He didn't realize how much he missed her until she slipped away from him again. 

He let out a sigh, only to realize that a warm and protective embrace locked around him still. He slowly opened one eye and then another. 

At the sight of the raven curls tickling his nose, he let in a sharp breath. His eyes traveled down and realized his arms were also locked around her waist, holding her in place. It felt right, it felt natural, and Varian never wanted to let go. 

He felt his face flush, but if he didn't, she might kill him herself. But she is still asleep...maybe he could just hold her for a little longer? He smiled slightly and nuzzled his nose back into her hair. He took a deep breath and sighed softly. She smelled like lavender and petrichor. Suddenly, the smell was his new favorite, even above fresh apple pie and hot chocolate. 

He felt her shift slightly, and he froze when her hand moved to rest against his chest, and she fell back into a more peaceful sleep. He relaxed and closed his eyes once more. Maybe he could go back to what he was dreaming about...maybe Cass could show up there too. 

Just as he was about to drift back to sleep, the pleasant smell changed. He cracked his eyes open again and sniffed, only for his eyes to widen and spring up to a sitting position. He looked down at the still sleeping Cass, and though he didn't want to wake her, he knew that he had to. 

Quickly, he shook her until those bright greyish green eyes were looking up at him in confusion. "Varian?"

"Do you smell that?" He asked her urgently.

"Smell what?" She asked, groggily, sitting up as well. 

"Smoke." He said, only for a scream of "fire!" To be heard throughout the inn. 

Cassandra's eyes widened, and she scrambled to her feet. She rushed around the room, gathering all their supplies as Varian went to the bed and attempted to wake the snoring man. 

"Ruddiger!" He shook him, only for the Raccoon man to just swat his hand away. "Come on, Bud, we have to go!"

"Varian!" Cass cried urgently, holding both of their bags. 

Suddenly a scream pierced through the inn, causing Ruddiger to spring up to his feet. "Fire!" He shouted and looked at the two of his friends, "why didn't you wake me?" He accused as he raced for the door.

Varian sputtered as he took his bag from Cass, and then took her hand as he followed the raccoon through the door of their room. 

They were fortunate to have missed the majority of the flames, but it was spreading quickly. The gang made it outside, but there were still people inside. 

Cass gripped her sword and looked at Varian, "I'll be right back." She said before rushing back into the fire.

"Cass!" Varian shouted after her. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he looked at Ruddiger, "go, make sure the horses are safe!" 

"What about you?" Ruddiger asked, not even arguing.

"I'm going to chase Cass into the fire." He let out a sigh, "sounds about right." He mumbled to himself. He reached into his bag and pulled out bath bombs, before running into the burning building. 

Ruddiger watched his friends go into the building like they are crazy, before going over to the stable. He let out a gasp and ran to it when he realized it was on fire as well. 

Quickly, he managed to dodge burning hay and unlocked the door with a swift kick. He ran to each stall and started to get the horses to run out of the stable as fast as he could. The whole building was going to collapse at any moment. 

He made sure Fidella got out and then Eden, who gave him a gentle nudge of her nose as she passed him. He let his eyes wander to make sure he got everyone when he heard a high pitched chirping coming from the back. He walked closer to it and saw a small, puff of grey fur. 

His eyes widened at seeing the kit and scooped it up into his arms and ran out of the stable. 

"Arthur!" Jessica cried, seeing Ruddiger come out with the baby raccoon, "Ruddiger, you saved him!" She shouted, joyfully running to them. 

"You have a pet raccoon?" He asked in surprise, causing her to flush. 

"My grandmother doesn't approve, but when I found it abandoned and alone, I knew I had to help it." She explained, taking the fluffy animal in her arms.

"You named it Arthur?" He asked again, dumbly, causing her to nod with a shrug. 

"It fits him." She explained, petting the raccoon affectionately. 

Just then, Cass and Varian ran out of the building, helping those they found stuck in the building. They were covered in ash and coughed out smoke, but their eyes gleamed with joy from helping.

"My grandmother is going to kill me." Jessica let out a sigh, watching as the men in town run with buckets of water, throwing them on the flames. 

"What I want to know is how did it start in the first place?" Cass asked, looking at Jessica, "where was the smoke first noticed?"

"In the kitchen." She replied, looking at the older woman. 

"Was there anyone in there? Any cooks?" She asked, her hand resting on her chin as she stared down at the shorter girl. 

"No, just me." The girl shook her head, "and I made sure to turn the stove off." She let out a sigh, "I had gone to bed after I brought dinner up to you." 

Cass nodded and looked at Varian, "I don't think this is a coincidence. We are one day away from the Spire, and I don't think Andrew wants us to go there." 

Varian nodded in agreement, "I shouldn't be surprised if he sent someone after me." He let out a sigh and looked up at the sky, "its dusk, maybe if we leave now, we will have time to make it there before whoever did this does."

"We don't have the supplies we needed." Cass sighed, causing Jessica to bit her lip, 

"My parents own a bakery; I'm sure they will give you anything you need for your trip." She said, looking at them all. 

"We don't have that much money," Varian said, looking at her, touched by the genuine kindness. 

"That's okay. I'm sure they will be happy to help." She smiled, before grabbing one of the horses and walked over to Ruddiger, "as a thank you for saving Arthur; I wanted to give you Breeze. He's a good horse and good at climbing, which you may need if you are going to the Spire."

Ruddiger took the horse, and looked at the girl, touched, "I don't know what to say."

"A simple "thank you" will do." She smiled at h8m, causing him to chuckle. 

"Thank you." He murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"You're welcome." She grinned and kissed his cheek before walking back over to the other guests. 

Eden and Fidella walked over to their human companions and nudged them with their noses, causing Cass and Varian to pet them gently and hop onto their saddles. 

They looked at the dying flames of the inn one more time before turning away. They had to find that bakery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say thank you for everyone who joined my Discord, I am looking forward to getting to know you all!! 
> 
> I was told the link I shared in the last chapter had expired and I replaced it with a new one, but just in case that doesn't work, here is another link <3
> 
> Discord: https://discord.gg/6YMDdMh


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I realized something about the last chapter....the gang has no idea where they are going. Given Varian's past experience it makes sense, and let's be honest, Ruddiger would be no better, but Cass? Cass is usually sharper than that and would make sure where they were going...but oh well, maybe she is under some stress? 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you like this Chapter!
> 
> Thank you for Reading, commenting, and kudosing!

After realizing they did not get the name of the bakery, the group of travelers turned around and went back to the Inn. They had thankfully gotten the fire out, but the once lovely house was now nothing but ash. No one was hurt, but the experience left many shaken. What now? Where would they all go? 

Cass frowned in pity as her eyes stared at the families who were left with nothing. Thankfully she had experience in these situations and was able to grab their things in haste, but what about those who lost everything? What will happen to them now? 

Shaking out of her thoughts, she smiled a little when she noticed the kind girl who hosted them, only for it to fade at the sight of the tears that streamed down her face as she clutched the kit to her chest. Quickly, Cass leaped from her horse and walked over to her. 

"Jessica?" Cassandra asked gently, not wanting to startle the distressed girl.

"O-oh!" Jessica quickly wiped her tears and turned to look at Cass, "You've returned, did you have any trouble getting the things you needed?"

"Um, actually, we realized we didn't get the name of your bakery," she mumbled, feeling sheepish that she forgot as well. She would write it off as having too much on her mind.

A small giggle escaped her lips, and the sadness that was on her face minutes before was replaced with amusement, "I suppose that is also my fault." she scratched the back of her head, "Sorry about that." 

"It happens." the older women shrugged, finding her laughter infectious. 

The brunette's eyes flickered to where the two boys sat on their horses, waiting, her eyes lingering on Ruddiger before she looked back at Cass, "how about I take you there?" 

"We don't want to trouble you, especially with all that happened this morning," Cass said gently, her hand resting on the girl's arm in an attempt to comfort her. 

"Honestly, I think I need to take my mind off it." she smiled at the gesture and shifted the small creature in her arms as it slept. 

Cass smiled at the tiny fluff of fur and moved her hand to gently scratch behind its ears, "he looks comfortable."

"He likes to sleep.," she shrugged as they started to walk over to the horses.

"Sounds like another raccoon, I know." Cass felt a small smirk pull on her lips.

\----

Ruddiger played with the leather rein, waiting for Cassandra to get the name of the bakery from Jessica. His stomach grumbled at the mere thought of the bakery, how he wanted to sink his teeth into a delicious apple tart. He closed his eyes, and a small smile appeared on his face as he could just taste it. 

"So…" Varian said, looking at his once animal companion turned human companion, "How's things been since you turned…?"

"Turned back into a human?" he opened his eyes and looked at his best friend before shrugging, "It's alright, I suppose, I do miss my spot on your shoulders though."

Varian could help but chuckle at that, "I miss it too, the back of my neck feels oddly cold without you."

"Hmm, that's not good...perhaps we should pick you up a scarf while we are at it." he teased the boy, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Varian rolled his eyes and shook his head, "This itchy cloak is enough, thank you." 

He glanced at the cloak his friend wore for the last two months of their travels, and something about it felt familiar as if he had seen the scrap of fabric somewhere before. He shrugged it off and played with a string on his glove, "If you don't get a scarf, could I get one?"

"Why do you want one?" Varian asked, confused.

"I get cold too, sometimes." the young man pouted and crossed his arms. 

"Okay…" Varian raised his hands in surrender, amused by his friend's antics, "Fine, we will get you a scarf."

Ruddiger did a little victory dance before looking back down to what he was doing. 

Varian's eyes shifted to the girls who were heading their way and nodded towards Jessica, who's eyes didn't leave the direction of Ruddiger. 

"I think she might like you." Varian glanced at his friend, who shrugged, looking down shyly. 

"Maybe…" the Raccoon man said softly, "But I don't think anything will come of it.'

"What makes you say that?" Varian asked curiously, frowning at the sadness that appeared on his friend's face, "You will never know anything unless you try." 

Ruddiger looked at Varian and then locked eyes with Jessica. Her dark gazes shined in the light of the sunrise, making it look like chocolate with honey coating it. He felt his heartache as he forced himself to break the gaze and looked down again. "I've been in love before…" he replied softly.

Varian looked at his friend in surprise, "You were in love? With something other than food and sleep?"

Ruddiger smiled slightly and turned his gaze to the sky as memories washed over him, "Her name was Pomellina, and her family owned the biggest apple orchard of Corona at that time…"

\---

The sun was blazing hot, and the wetness of sweat was seeping into the fabric of his shirt. Droplets slid from his brow, but for once, he didn't care. For once, he didn't want to hide away or beg for the hard work to end. He didn't want to sneak off and take a nap, or steal sweets, or both. No, he wanted to stay and continue to pick apples with the pretty girl with bright eyes and golden locks. 

Ruddiger sat at the top of the apple tree and smirked down at the girl as her lips formed into a small pout as he held the bright red apple above her head. "What's wrong, Little Apple, can't reach?" he teased, causing her to roll her eyes.

Giving up her struggle, she crossed her arms with a huff, "I should have never told you the meaning of my name." she grumbled, looking away from the young man, "I need that Apple or Papa would be disappointed if I don't bring him the best and biggest apples. I swear you can be a big jerk sometimes."

Ruddiger frowned and jumped down from his place in the tree quickly, "Pomellina, you know I was only kidding." he worried his lip as he gazed at her, gently he took her hand and placed the apple in it. 

Her hand clutched the apple gently before she met his gaze once more, amusement and mischief shining through, "why thank you, Ruddi, how kind of you." she grinned before taking a big bite of the apple. 

Gaping at the woman in disbelief, Ruddiger shook his head and let out a sigh, "if I didn't like you so much, I would have tackled you for that apple and for tricking me."

Licking her lips, she stared up at Ruddiger, "You like me, huh?" she took another bite, her eyebrow-raising curiously, but her eyes burned with hope and longing for confirmation of his statement. 

"Well, everyone knows I have a love for apples of every kind…" Ruddiger took her free hand in his, "Even little ones." 

Rolling her eyes at his corniness, she kissed his cheek, "I like you too." she whispered in his ear before moving away from him to grab the basket of apples, "I better get home.." 

"Yeah, I probably should too, Demanitus is usually lost without me in the lab." Ruddiger puffed his chest out as he leaned against the tree, "He may be the Alchemist, but I basically run the lab."

"Oh, I'm sure you do." Pomellina laughed softly, "I'm sure he would be alright if you walked me home, though?"

"Well, it would be ungentlemanly of me if I were to leave a beautiful maiden to travel the road all on her lonesome." He smiled and walked over to her, "Allow me, Little Apple." he took the basket from her hands and offered his arm, "Shall we stroll through the dangerous and treacherous and threatening path to your home?" 

She linked her arm with his and shook her head in amusement, "You make me laugh, Ruddi, but yes, let us face the mighty dragon that slumbers in the cave near my home, let us then travel to distant and far places to an adventure at every turn!" 

Ruddiger let out a yawn and whine, "But that sounds like a lot of work." 

Shaking her head at his laziness, she leaned into his side, "Oh, what am I going to do with you?" 

"Well, you could let me eat the rest of that apple," Ruddiger said, eyeing the red fruit that was still in her hands. 

"Oh?" She looked at her friend, "You mean this apple?" she held it up so they both could see it better, "hmm...what would be in it for me?" she asked as she looked up at him through her eyelashes. 

"I won't complain as much next time we pick apples." He offered, looking at her hopefully.

"Now that is a tempting offer…" she chuckled before stopping him, "but I think I have a better idea." she murmured, her eyes locking with his. 

Her dark gaze looked like the hot chocolate he prepared for Demanitus. Dark, warm, and made him long for the next time he can catch a glimpse of them. His eyes flickered to her pink, plump lips, and it took everything in him not to capture them against his own. He was known to be an impatient man and one who usually acts impulsively, but not with her. 

They've known each other for most of their lives, ever since his parents died when he was 14 and came to live with his older sister to be her and her partner's assistant. Pomellina was older than him, nearly two years older, but he didn't care. He wanted nothing more than to get to know her and to impress her, so she would want to get to know him as well. They bonded over their mutual fondness for apples, and as it turned out, her family owned the biggest orchid in the kingdom. She was pretty, funny, witty, and overall perfect for him. 

When their lips met, they both let in a sharp intake of air, but slowly their eyes closed, and the basket of apples was soon forgotten. All the world around them faded until it was just them. It was just him and his little apple.

When they broke, they both let out a laugh, and they embraced each other tightly, at last, the weight of their feelings were laid out to the other, and now they could carry the load together. Ruddiger pecked her forehead gently, before taking her hand in his once more. 

"I don't know what to say." Pomellina whispered, the grin not leaving her face, "I suppose that earned you a bite of the apple."

"Nah, I'm good…" he gazed at her with a smirk, "I already had my taste of apple." 

She gasped and elbowed his side, "I swear you are going to be the death of me, Raccoon boy." She shook her head and moved away from him to grab the basket of apples that laid forgotten on the ground.

"Oi! I rub ink around my eyes once, and now I'm labeled as a raccoon for the rest of my life." he pouted and crossed his arms. 

"It happened more than once. In fact, it happens every time I visit you while you're working." she chuckles, resting the basket on her hip.

He raised a finger to argue only to slowly bring it down and sigh, "Fine." he grumbled, before it switched to a smirk once more, "The Raccoon and the Little Apple."

"That sounds like a title of literature." she mused, taking his hand in hers once more, "but you are Raccoon boy, there is a difference."

"Oh, is there?" he chuckled, squeezing the hand gently, "Do tell." 

She grinned and took another bite of the apple, finishing it, "But where is the fun in that?" she murmured, before tugging on his hand to start heading down the path once more. 

\----

"What happened to her?" Varian asked, listening to Ruddiger's tale with interest, his eyes flickering to Cass and then back to Ruddiger.

Varian stared at the ground sadly and let out a sigh, "That is a story for another time." he murmured as the girls finally returned to the horses. 

Cass helped Jess onto Fidella and grabbed the reins, "Which way?"

Jessica smiled and pointed North towards the town, "Onward!" she cheered as Cass started to lead them towards the direction she was pointing to, and at last, they were heading to the bakery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like my little flashback! I'm thinking of maybe writing some one-shots that are Ruddiger centric that focuses on his backstory, what do you think? Would you be interested in something like that? 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!
> 
> Discord: https://discord.gg/eTaZKNf


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry I took so long to get this written!! A lot happened in the last few weeks and I had a bit of a writer's block for this chapter, but I did it! Woot! 
> 
> I hope you like it!!

Heaven. That's the only word Ruddiger could think of to describe the smell from outside the bakery. It took everything part of him not to jump down from the horse and run to the sweet, sweet smell. 

He shifted eagerly in his saddle, causing Jessica to laugh softly. "If this is how you react from just the smell, wait until you taste the goodies inside." 

He looked at her and opened his mouth to reply only for his stomach to growl loudly. He closed his mouth, and he felt his cheeks flush before moving the horse closer to Varian, completely embarrassed.

"You okay there, buddy?" Varian asked, amused by his friend. 

"Shut up." He mumbled, but his embarrassment soon was forgotten when they finally arrived at the bakery. 

It wasn't anything special to look at. It blended in with all the other buildings on the road. The only difference was the big window in the front with the light already shining through. 

The sun was barely peeking out from behind the mountains around Fortuna, but the bakers were already hard at work baking bread and orders to be delivered. Nothing beats a baker's work ethic. 

Jessica leaped from the horse, still holding the baby raccoon in her arms, and turned to her friends with a shy smile. "I think I should go in first and tell them what happened."

She walked over to Ruddiger and handed the Kit to him to hold.

"I'll wave you in when you can come inside." She told him and then looked at her new friends with a small smile, "I have...I have to tell them about what happened to the InnInn." she murmured before turning to the door.

Varian jumped down from Eden and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, this has been an eventful morning." 

Cass walked over to him and pulled his hood up over his head, "Do you want whoever is chasing us to find us quicker?" She hissed, but also let out a sigh. "I'm honestly surprised this hasn't happened sooner." 

"I mean, we were trapped in the other world for two weeks…" Varian pointed out, pulling the hood to fit better. 

"It wasn't two weeks." Cass looked at Varian with a frown, "it was probably just a night or two."

"Probably here, but in the other world, it was two weeks." Varian adjusted his gloves slightly, "what was an hour here was a day there. That's why it didn't feel like time passed so quickly...also the Bird wanted to kill us without any of us even knowing so…" 

"So, the other worlds have different logic when it comes to time?" Cass frowned in thought. She never really thought this deeply on a subject like this before, but the twinkle in Varian's eye seemed to be worth it. 

"It's like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey wimey stuff." Varian nodded, fidgeting with his gloves.

"The Lost Realm had no concept of time." Ruddiger spoke up, "it is an eternity of weird." 

Varian shivered as he remembered his time there and subconsciously touched his hair to make sure there was no snake. 

"It's why Demanitus chose it to trap Zhan Tiri, the ultimate prison." Ruddiger sighed, petting the Raccoon in his arms as he gazed through the window at all the pastries. Can't they go in yet?

Cass rubbed her arm as she thought of the demon that manipulated her into doing horrible things. She glanced at Varian, and his gaze flickered to hers, and he gave her a soft smile. She didn't know how or why, but just a smile from him caused the anxiety she felt slow to a complete halt. Her hand locked around her necklace as she looked away. What was happening to her? 

"I wonder what happened?" Varian said out loud, "what made Zhan Tiri do all this? Was she always desperate for power, or was she once normal?" 

Ruddiger frowned and glanced at Varian and Cassandra. He knew, and he could tell them. Tell them everything about what happened and who Zhan Tiri used to be, but who someone used to be wont change who the person became and the damage they caused. 

Did he think that his sister was still inside the monster? He couldn't be sure. The darkness consumed her so much, and he wished he had seen the signs sooner. Maybe he could have helped her. 

He looked at Varian once more, that's why when he saw the same darkness start in his friend, he never left his side. He refused to let another person in his family become a monster. 

"I don't think it matters." Cass put in, her soft feeling being replaced by anger, "she hurt so many people, I'm happy she is gone. I don't think it's worth the breath to ask questions about a monster."

At that, they saw Jess look over to them and wave them inside. Cass didn't give Varian a second glance before walking into the bakery. 

Ruddigger leaped off Breeze, still cuddling the sleeping Raccoon in his arms, and patted Varian's arm. "I think she got her hand stuck in the honey pot." he frowned.

"Zhan Tiri is a sensitive subject for her." Varian frowned, "I should have known not to bring her up…" he sighed. 

Ruddiger looked at the young man and patted his shoulder again, "There, there." he tried to comfort him, "Can we go in the bakery now? I'm starving." 

"Sure thing, oh helpful one." Varian rolled his eyes before following his friend inside. 

\---

The scent that floated out of the bakery was nothing compared to the aroma that hit them once they were inside. One by one, each of their stomachs growled loudly, causing the bakers to turn their heads and look at the newcomers with amused gazes. 

A large man with an apron came over to them and held out a flour-covered hand for them to shake, "Hello, I am Jonathan, Jessica's father." he smiled pleasantly as Varian accepted his hand to shake. 

"Hello, sir, it's a pleasure to meet you." He said, finding the man to be calming and found a warm comfort from him. Maybe it was because he was a father, or it could just be who he was, but it made a pang ache in his chest. He missed his father so much. He hoped he could go back to Corona and save him. He will not let him down. Never again.

"The pleasure is all mine, especially after the heroic acts you did this morning!" He looked over the soot and ash-covered faces of the three of them, "My daughter told me of the tragedy that happened to the Inn and how you bravely went back into the burning building and saved everyone still inside!" 

"Well, it was the right thing to do," Cass said, smiling at the man, secretly pleased to get such an acknowledgment in what they did. 

Jessica walked over to Ruddiger and scooped Arthur from his arms and cuddled him close, "Ruddiger saved this little guy from the stables, as well as the horses." 

The Baker raised an eyebrow at the starry-eyed gaze she was shooting at the young man and then the small ball of fluff in her arms, "Well, thank you for that as well. Jess said she gave you Breeze. I hope he does you some good in your travels." 

"Thank you, sir." the once Raccoon bowed his head in thanks, "I am grateful for such a gift, though I don't deserve it."

Cass and Varian looked at the lazy and whiny raccoon man in bewilderment. Who was he, and what did he do with the Ruddiger they knew? He was being so...polite?

"Nonsense! You deserve so much more! You all do!" He looked at them all with a smile. 

"I know you want to leave as soon as you can, but please, freshen up and rest first." He gestured for his wife to come over, "Maria will show you to the washroom where you are welcome to use anything you need. Jessica and my son, Issac, will put together some supplies you may need."

"I can see where your daughter gets her hospitality." Cass complimented, "Thank you, sir." she shook his hand before following the Baker's wife, Maria, towards the stairs that lead up to their home. 

Varian scratched at his newly grown beard as he went to follow Cassandra, only to be stopped by the Baker once more, "You are welcome to use my razor if you need to as well. Just be careful not to dull the blade." 

Varian nodded with wide eyes, "Yes, sir, thank you." He offered a small smile before following his friends up the stairs. 

Maria was a sweet woman and spoke with a thick Avaloran accent as she led the three up to the washroom and spare bedroom. She rambled on about the Inn and how frightening the fire was and gushed about how brave they were to go into the fire. She looked at Cass and told her how much she admired her and how much of a hero she was, causing Cass to blush and smile kindly at the woman. 

"Thank you, Maria, it was my pleasure to help." She said to the woman, "and thank you for being so hospitable." 

"Such a good lady." Maria said, pinching her cheeks, "But so thin, I'll get something for you all to eat, yes?"

"Yes!" Ruddiger exclaimed without thinking, before clearing his throat, "Yes, please."

Maria laughed at him and patted his arm, "I can see someone is hungry. I'll whip you all something for breakfast. Please, get cleaned up, and I will meet you downstairs when you are ready." She smiled before leaving them on their own.

The three stood in the bedroom for a minute in awkward silence before Varian cleared his throat and gestured to the washroom, "You go first M'lady." he said, causing Cass to look at him with a small smirk before nodding.

"Thanks." she looked at Ruddiger and then Varian again before going into the washroom to get cleaned off.

Ruddiger let out a yawn and laid down on the bed, causing Varian to frown at his lazy friend. "You shouldn't lay down there when you are still dirty. You will just give these nice people more work to do."

He opened one of his eyes and looked at Varian before rolling them and putting his hands behind his head, "I think I can do what I like. They said to make ourselves at home and then had us come in here. I think that means it's okay to rest up a little before climbing a bloody mountain."

Varian opened his mouth to argue before letting out a sigh and nodding before looking around the room. It was nice. It had a wood floor and blue painted walls and white curtains. It was cozy, but not that lived in from the gathered dust on the dresser. 

He sat down on the floor and pulled out his bag again and let out a sigh when he saw all the ingredients he needed but couldn't get. His eyes wandered to the one missing serum that he was most worried about. He had a feeling the person that was after him had it, and if they had it, it meant that Andrew could encase all of Corona in Amber. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as flashes of one of his nightmares crossed his mind. 

No. he couldn't dwell on that….but what if it was a prophecy of some sort? What if the dreams were warnings of what could happen in the future, and someone was trying to get him to try and change the future? He didn't believe in magic, but with all he saw, who was he to say that something was impossible if he didn't have an explanation for it? 

His thoughts went back to the dream he had the night before and seeing his mom again. What if...what if she was trying to communicate with him? What if she was trying to warn him about something in the future? 

Musing over his thoughts as he blocked out the snoring from the bed, he missed Cass coming back in, clean and fresh as a sunrise. He jumped when she placed a hand on his shoulder and offered a small smile. 

"It's your turn." She said softly, causing Varian to blink at her before nodding. 

"Thanks, Cassie." He murmured, taking his cloak off and standing up. He stretched his arms over his head before going into the washroom.   
He took his gloves off and set them on the counter before scooping the water from the basin in his hands and washed his face with it. He closed his eyes as he felt the water drip on his skin and catch on his new beard.

He took the towel and wiped his face clear of the water before opening his eyes and looked at himself in the mirror. It's been quite a long time since he saw his reflection, and what was staring back was a stranger to him. 

A flash of a figure appeared in his reflection, causing him to jump back into the wall behind him and blink a few times. What was that??

Slowly he approached the mirror, but only saw himself. That was...was he going insane? He took a deep, shaky breath. He was becoming delirious…

"Varian?" He heard from the door, followed by a soft knock, "Are you okay?"

He swallowed hard and rubbed his eyes before responding, "Yeah, I'm fine, Cass, thanks."

He heard her footsteps shift to leave before turning around and knocking again, "Are you decent?" Cassandra asked quietly, "I was hoping I could speak with you…"

Varian blinked in surprise at the tone she was speaking in. He wasn't used to it coming from her, but he didn't mind it. "Yeah, I'm still clothed if that's what you meant." he chuckled and opened the door to allow her inside. 

She looked at him with a small smile, "Hi." she murmured, coming in and closing the door behind her. 

"Hello." he greeted, leaning against the counter, "What do you need to speak to me about?" 

She looked down at her gloved hands with a small frown before looking up at him, "I'm sorry." 

He blinked and looked at her in surprise, "For what?"

"About the way I acted earlier…" she bit her lip and closed her eyes, "I don't want to know about that demon...she ruined my life, and she just makes me so angry!"

"Hey, hey." Varian placed his hands on her arms to get her to look at him. "It's okay." he smiled softly at her, "I don't blame you...and in my brief encounter with her, I wish I never met that monster or let her get in my head…" he sighed and moved his hands down her arms to her hands and squeezed them, "We all have our own darkness we are dealing with." 

She squeezed his hands back and glanced down at their linked hands with a small smile, "This is the first time I've seen your hands." she rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand softly. 

"I don't like taking them off…" he murmured, "They feel naked without them."

"I know how you feel." She bit her lip," My hand got severely burned, and it never fully healed...even the healing incantation failed to fix it entirely, and I don't really like putting it on display."

He frowned, "Does it hurt?"

"Not anymore...it just is a reminder of the beginning of my downfall.." she sighed and moved her hands away from his and walked more into the washroom. 

"It could be a reminder for something else." He bit his lip and followed her, "It can be a reminder that you can control your destiny...and who you used to be doesn't define who you are now." 

She looked at him and hugged him, surprising them both. She wasn't one for hugging, but his words touched her in a way that this was the only way she could express how she felt. Slowly, she felt his arms wrap around her and squeezed lightly. 

They both let out a soft sigh, enjoying the hug. Neither one of them really wanted to let go, but they eventually had to, and they just smiled at each other dumbly. 

"Thank you, Varian." She murmured

"Anytime, Cassie," he responded with a wink, causing her to laugh. 

He brought his hand to his beard to scratch it again, "I should probably finish getting ready." he glanced around until he spotted the razor. He flipped the blade open and looked at it curiously. It was a bit different than the one he used at home. 

"Do you need help?" Cass chuckled at the crossed eyed look Varian gave the blade. 

"Um well…" he looked at her and then the blade and then at her again, his cheeks burning in embarrassment, "..yeah…" 

She chuckled and pulled the chair over by the basin and gestured to it, "Sit down, I'll give you a shave." 

He smiled at her in thanks. He then sat down and leaned his head back to give her access to his face. 

She smiled at him and set the blade on the counter. She looked down at her gloves and hesitated before slowly pulling them off and put them next to his. She then grabbed the razor again. She wet it before bringing it to his cheek and gently slid it down, removing the hairs that grew there. She did her best not to nick him, but with a straight razor, it was a near-impossible task. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes as she shaved his face slowly, being very careful and gentle. Once the hair was removed from one area, she would run her hand on the smooth skin, before moving to the next until finally, she was on the last bit of hair. 

She did it. She managed to shave him without a single nick or cut, but like anytime you think you successfully did something, the razor got too close and cut her finger. She let out a small yelp, wincing and shaking her hand to relieve the pain. 

"You okay?" Varian sat up and looked up at her in concern.

"Fine, just cut myself, but I'll live." she shrugged, only to pause when Varian took the hurt hand in his and brought the injured finger to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. 

"I feel better already." she murmured, before clearing her throat and looked away, "Thanks."

"Thank you." he smiled at her and used the towel to wipe his face, "Best shave I've ever had." 

"Oh, well, happy to help." she cleared her throat, "I'll let you finish getting cleaned up... I'll meet you downstairs."

"Sounds good, M'lady." he grinned as she hurried out of the washroom. 

He looked back into the mirror and smiled as he admired her handy work. 

\---

Once they were all cleaned up, they met the kind family down in the dining room and were surprised by the full breakfast that they had prepared laid out on the table. 

Ruddiger was the first to hurry over to the table and sit down, scooping up as much food as he could on the plate. His mouth was practically watering at the food. He was so hungry! 

As he ate, he missed the disappointed look Jessica shot his way when he sat on the other side of the table, or when Cass and Varian joined him. All he could think of was food.

Varian looked at his gluttonous friend with a frown before looking at the kind family with a small smile, "Thank you for this. It was very kind of you."

'It was no problem at all." Maria smiled at the three of them, "Please, eat as much as you want."

The two who haven't jumped into the food like a wild animal took a little bit of everything and dug into the meal.

"What are you going to do now that the Inn's burned down?" Cass asked curiously, taking a bite of the food.

"Well, the inn was my mother's." Jonathan said as he ate, "So she will be agitated, but we all will survive." he smiled some, "I'm just happy no one was hurt."

"You're so positive…" Varian looked at him, "It's inspiring."

"Well, this town was filled with thieves a few years ago...but then one day they were urn out of town." he smiled, "We have celebrated each moment since."

"That is inspiring." Cass complimented, "the cheeriness is infectious." 

"We are glad to hear that." The Baker grinned at them more and ate more.

A younger boy who sat next to his mother stared at the strangers curiously as they all ate until finally, he spoke up, "Why do you have that?"

"Sorry?" Varian looked up at the kid in confusion. 

"Why do you have that blue in your hair?" The kid asked Varian, pointing at the streak in his hair.

"Isaac!" Maria scolded, "That is very rude."

"Oh, it's okay." he smiled at the kid and touched his streak, "I don't know...I've had it since I could remember, and my dad never told me how or why I have it." he shrugged as the kid nodded and looked back at his breakfast. 

"I think it looks neat." Isaac mumbled over his eggs, "I want blue in my hair."

"Maybe it will be the future fashion," Jess said, getting over her brooding from not sitting next to Ruddiger.

"If that's true, I fear for fashion." Jonathan joked, smiling goodnaturedly at Varian.

At that, they all fell into a comfortable silence as they ate. Varian watched as the kind girl kept shooting looks over at Ruddiger and nudged him slightly in the side and nodded in her direction. 

"She really likes you." he murmured to his friend, "You should probably talk to her before we leave."

Ruddiger took one last bite before glancing at Jessica and then nodded at Varian, "I will."

\---

Once they finished the meal, the kind baker family gave them bags of supplies and anything they may need to make the trip up the mountain. The Baker gave them a huge hug and wished them farewell before going back to baking. His wife followed suit before taking her son with her back inside.

"Bye, Ruddiger." Jessica smiled at him with wide eyes and a hopeful smile, "I hope you can come and visit again...I will miss you." 

"Thank you." Ruddiger bit his lip before letting out a sigh, "Listen, Jess.." he cleared his throat and averted his gaze, so he didn't have to look at those sweet eyes, "I like you. You are sweet and kind and make one of the best apple tart's I've ever had…"

She broke out in a wide grin and took his hand in hers, "I like you too!" 

He quickly pulled his hand from hers and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "It's because I like you that I need to be honest." he took a deep breath and looked at him, "I don't want to lead you on or anything…"

"Oh…" her smile faltered, and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, "You don't like me like that, do you?"

"I'm sorry, love." Ruddiger murmured, mentally cursing in his head when his accent came out thick. He's been careful about it. He knew how his friends felt about his sister, and he didn't want them to figure out they were related just yet. 

His eyes shifted to the two of them, who were whispering with each other. Varian held the map as Cassandra placed her hand on his arm and pointed at a possible route they were going to take. They moved their heads at the same time only to pause at how close they were and quickly looked away with a blush on their cheeks. 

They were disgustingly cute and completely oblivious. Ruddiger sighed and looked back at Jessica.

"I'm sorry, Jessica." he corrected himself, "In all honesty, I don't feel a lot of things anymore. A long time ago, I had my heartbroken, and I never got the piece back into place to give it to someone else."

"I see." she murmured, before giving him a soft smile, "I understand." she held her hand out to him, "Can we be friends?"

He looked at her in surprise before smiling back and taking her hand and shaking it, "Yeah, friends."

"Thank you for saving, Arthur." she murmured before leaning in and kissing his cheek softly. She quickly turned away and walked over to Varian and Cass and hugged them both goodbye, before hurrying back inside the bakery. 

Ruddiger approached the duo and grabbed the reins of the horse as Varian folded up the map and put it in his bag. 

"I hope you are well rested and fed." Varian told his friend, as he and Cass hopped onto their horses, "Because now it's a race to the Spire."

"Whoever did all this probably knows that's where we are going and will probably try to stop us." Cass explained, "We have to get their first,"

"Well then, lead the way," Ruddiger said, getting on his horse as well and followed the two out of Fortuna.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry for the long wait! I've been struggling with motivation to write and also I started a new job and the change shook me up a bit...but I pushed through and the new chapter is complete!!
> 
> I hope you like it and thank you for being patient!

Varian shifted uncomfortably in the saddle he sat in as he followed Cassandra, who took point as they traveled towards the Spire. He glanced behind himself towards Ruddiger who's dark circles under his eyes made him look pale and exhausted.

He frowned. He knew how that felt. If he was honest with himself, all he wanted to do was let Eden graze in the meadow they were passing and just lay down in the soft-looking grass and sleep. After his dreams, he let himself become sleep deprived...but his mom was in his last dream. 

What if she returned in the next one? What if she was trying to tell him something? What if it was just his imagination? He didn't care. Sometimes you don't realize how much you miss someone until you see them again in your dreams, and then they become all you think about. You have a longing to see them again, even if you know its impossible. He really wished he had his mom with him right now to guide him in what he had to do. How could he save Corona? He wasn't a hero. So why him? 

He was cut from his thoughts when Cassandra stopped abruptly and pulled her sword out with narrowed eyes. 

"There's someone following us," she said, jumping off of Fidella and walking slowly, her eyes traveling along the outskirts of the Meadow they were traveling through. 

"I don't see anyone." Ruddiger squinted from the sun glare, looking around. 

"Doesn't mean no one is there," Varian replied, jumping off Eden as well, his hand on a pouch on his belt that kept a hidden alchemy ball. He walked over to Cass and trailed his eyes around the horizon of the Meadow, searching for a figure or anything that may be lurking. 

“See anything?” He asked her quietly, his eyes drifting over to her. 

"not yet.." Cass frowned, "But stay alert." she ordered her traveling companions, before walking back over to Fidella. 

She grabbed the horse’s reins when a sound came from behind them and a shout of their names. 

She and Varian turned quickly, their weapons ready, even Ruddiger placed his hand on the dagger attached to his belt. Only to lower it at the person who was running towards them, looking worse for wear.

“Eugene?” Varian asked in surprise, taking a step closer to the Captain, who stopped running and placed his hands on his knees, panting. 

He held up a finger as he caught his breath before standing up and pushing his hair back. He gave them a crooked grin, “Miss me?” 

“Not particularly.” Cass said dryly, walking next to Varian and sheathing her sword, “What are you doing here, Fitzherbert? Didn’t you send Varian to do your dirty work?” 

“First of all, I do my own dirty work, thank you.” he crossed his arms before his face turned serious, “Second, I’m here to make sure you guys make it to the Spire.” 

“It’s gotten worse, hasn’t it?” Varian asked softly, looking at his friend in the hope of any denial. 

“Yeah, kid, it has.” he let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, “Rapunzel was captured and locked away in a tower.” he mumbled bitterly, “Andrew wanted to be ironic apparently.”

Varian felt his shoulders slump as defeat overwhelmed him. With Rapunzel gone, how would they save the Kingdom? She was their Queen, as well as the light that leads them in the right direction. Everyone who has the privilege to call her friend would follow her in any battle and trust her...but without the light...was there even a chance to win?

He stiffened when he felt a gentle hand on his arm and glanced down at Cass, but her focus was on Eugene. She looked annoyed, but not in her usual “I’m going to kill this idiot” look that she usually has when speaking to Eugene. It held distrust and something else. Suddenly her eyes snapped up to his and softened a tiny bit before looking back at Eugene.

“So, Eugene, why exactly are you here with us and not trying to save your beloved wife?” Cass asked, her eyes narrowing, and her hand going back to her sword. She didn’t trust him. How could she, when she experienced first hand all that Andrew has done? 

A flash of hurt crossed Eugene’s face before it switched to annoyance, “You don’t think I’ve tried??” he snapped at her, “It’s been months since the attack! I’ve done everything I could think of to try and find her….but without the guards? Without my friends? Without Sunshine? I’m just one man against a whole army….” he took a deep breath and straightened his back, “That's why I came to find you. You both are the last hope in the fight for Corona.”

Varian was glad Cass had her hand on his arm to keep him steady because he felt a little lightheaded at that. They were the last hope? How? What could he do? 

His hands shook, and he took a deep breath, “We will do our best.” Varian said, a strain in his voice, as his eyes flickered back to Cass. How was she so calm??

Cass frowned and stared at Eugene before lowering her arm from her weapon, “How did you get here?” she asked, looking over his demeanor. 

“I took Max, but we were ambushed.” Eugene sighed, “Axel was there, and Max decided to go after him….he didn’t return.” 

At the mention of Max, Fidella walked over to Eugene and nudged his side with her nose, a concerned twinkle in her eyes. 

“I’m sorry...I doubt he’s dead...but he’s most likely been captured.” He told the horse softly, “He sacrificed himself for me...and along with Rapunzel, we will get him back.” 

Fidella lowered her head in sadness before lifting it, a new determination in her eyes as she strode over to Cass and nudged her reins in her hand. 

Cass took them and frowned at her friend before nodding, getting the hint, “We are getting him back, I promise.” she told the horse before looking back to Eugene. 

“There is someone following us, someone who doesn’t want us to make it to the Spire.” Cass said, relaxing a bit, “Do you happen to know anything about them?”

Eugene nodded with a grim look on his face, “They were sent by Andrew and Lady Caine, lead by Howard, that traitorous Guard that started all this.” He clenched his fists in anger, “They have been tracking you. Apparently, a guy in Vandoros doesn’t like you, hair stripe.” 

Varian paled as he had a flashback to his drunken experience. That was not a day he wanted to relive. What was that guy's name? Greg? Craig? He couldn’t remember, but it made sense that he would rat him out. 

“They also have a new weapon that I would keep your eye out for,” Eugene said, still completely serious as he looked between the two. 

Ruddiger frowned, leaped down from Breeze, and stood on Varian’s other side. 

“What is it?” Cass asked, what new weapon could they have that’s worse than what they already used?

“It’s hard to describe.” Eugene frowned, “But it looked like Project Obsidian.”

“What?” Varian gasped, horror appearing on his face as he took a step back.

“It doesn’t do the same as it, though.” Eugene tried to reassure him, “It spits out fire like some...flame spitter or something.” 

Varian’s face was as pale as a ghost as he stared at Eugene with alarm, “no…” he breathed, “nononononono. No. no. no.” he stepped away from them and started to pace. He took his goggles off and ran a hand through his hair as he just mumbled “No” under his breath as his mind raced. 

“Varian?” Cass asked in concern, “What is it?” 

Ruddiger walked over to his friend and placed his hands on his shoulders to get him to stop the pacing, “Varian.” he said, looking at him straight in the eye, “I know what you are thinking, but it could be something different…”

“It looks like Project Obsidian….” he looked at him in panic, “Ruddiger...you know where those plans came from…”

“Varian…” He tried to calm his friend down, only for him to move away and start to pace again. 

“Varian…” Cass watched the young man freak out with a frown, “What do you know about this new weapon?”

Varian stopped and rubbed his eyes before turning to face everyone with a heavy sigh, “Because I invented it.” 

“I’m sorry, what?” Eugene asked, standing next to Cass with a face of pure shock, “Varian, why would you invent something so dangerous--and what am I saying? Of course, you would invent something like this!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration, only to let out a grunt from the elbow in his side from Cass. 

She glared at him before looking back to her grief-stricken friend, “Why did you invent it?” 

Ruddiger placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze, “Tell them.” he told him softly, “They need to know.” 

Varian took a shaky breath before nodding and looking back up at them. His eyes met Cassandra’s, and then he quickly flickered them to the ground. “It was the darkest day of my life...even darker than my fall from grace...because...because this was when I had nothing left to lose.” He took a sharp intake and closed his eyes, “This is how I escaped from prison.” 

\----

It was a long seven months. Has it been seven months? It’s what the tally marks on the wall say, but it felt much longer. It felt like he was there for years. It was just him, the random guard that passed by every now and then, and Ruddiger. 

The Raccoon was heaven sent. He never left his side through all of this. He would snuggle close during the bad days when he would meltdown and cry and cheer him up when he was brooding. He even snuck an apple in for his birthday. He was his best friend. It was the Raccoon's loyalty that he finally realized that what he did was wrong. 

He hurt so many people. He hurt the only human friends he had for a mistake that he made. He hurt Rapunzel and kidnapped her mother! What sick twisted thoughts was he thinking???

And Cass!! He could have crushed Cassie!! He winced and shook his head. No. She wasn’t Cassie anymore. He didn’t deserve to call her that. He didn’t deserve her friendship anymore, and any feelings he had for her, he would force away. After what he’s done...he didn’t deserve the fantasy of love. 

If only he could go back and change what he’s done. He missed the way things used to be. He missed his dad and his friends. What kind of monster would do something like this? 

Varian lifted his head when he heard a commotion in front of his cell, and his eyes widened when the guard unlocked his cell. What’s going on? Was this it? Is the king going to execute him? Or is it the “help” he promised Rapunzel he would get? 

He shook his head to clear the bitter thoughts and turned his attention to the man another guard pushed to his cell. The Guards didn’t say anything to either of them. They just shoved the new prisoner in, locked the door, and left. 

Varian gulped and pushed himself closer to the corner of the cell. He had been alone for months. Why give him a cellmate now? Was he in here for stealing like most of the prisoners? Or was he in here for a crime against the throne, like him? What if it was worse? He’s heard stories about men and younger kids…

His heart picked up at the thought and reached his hand out to Ruddiger for comfort, and his eyes drifted up to the loose stone in the wall. He had a weapon if he needed to defend himself. He was never good in a physical fight, and he promised himself he would never kill, but if that man laid one finger on him...he may have to. He would use all his strength to stop this man from hurting him. 

He felt his breath pick up a bit when the man caught sight of him and smiled, “Hello, Roomie.” 

That’s when he met Andrew, and for the first time in months, he felt like he had a friend. The man oozed charm and had a silver tongue telling him everything he wanted to hear, especially after learning he was an Alchemist. 

They shared stories of how they ended up arrested. Varian listened to his story and mentally winced when he mentioned his fake relationship with Cass. Thankfully, she saw through his act, but he didn’t voice his thoughts. Nor did he show his irritation when he kept calling her “Cassie” or talk about how if things had been different, she would make a great Queen of Saporia. He may have forced his crush away, but he didn’t want some terrorist to be lusting after her!

After the man told him his story, he was still hesitant to share his, but the man was kind to him. He was acting like a friend. He felt a twinge in his chest. He reminded him of Eugene. Finally, he poured his whole heart to him. Telling him what happened but most of all about how much he regretted what he did. 

Andrew listened to him and comforted him as he cried. He was so taken in by this man that he became his lifeline, and he didn’t even notice the sad eyes of the raccoon. 

Once he had him in his claws, that’s when he started the manipulation. He would say, “If only we can get out of here, I know some people that might know how to get your father out” or “If only there were a way to make the whole Kingdom forget and make them like you again...but we would need to get out to do that.” 

It was the latter suggestion that caught Varian’s attention. What if he could make them forget and like him again? A fresh start...yes. But how? 

It took him a whole night to develop a plan of how to make the whole Kingdom forget with some input from Andrew. He mentioned the Wand of Oblivion, and though Varian was hesitant to include magic in his plans, he was convinced that he could use it scientifically. 

But then there was the question of how could they escape? 

Stealing the spoon from his meal, he moved his bed from the wall and started to sketch and make calculations for a device. It was like a canon, but it could spit fire. If he could create a way for the fire to be thrown to a distance, the Guards would evacuate the cells, and they would be innocent. Sadly, that was a dead-end when he realized that the gun would need materials that they did not have. 

Andrew was impressed with his work, though. He would admire it regularly, claiming it “Inspired him” to come up with another plan. Eventually, it did for Varian too. The plan was good. They just needed another way to start the fire. 

Taking the spoon and the loose piece of the wall, he slid his arms through the holes of the door and rubbed the rock and metal together in the hope of creating a spark. He rubbed and rubbed, aiming under the Coronan flag that hung next to their cell. Finally, after hours it lit, but what he didn’t calculate was how quickly the fire would start, nor did he realize it would spread quickly. The Guards ran to let them out, some crying out from being burned, but they let them out and urged them to run.

Thinking quickly, Andrew pulled things in their path to slow them down and grabbed Varian’s arm to make him run faster. Finally, they made it outside, but they didn’t stop. They kept running until they knew they had a safe distance between them and the kingdom. Varian couldn’t help but look behind himself to the orange glow, and guilt filled his chest. He hoped no one got hurt. 

With that, he guided Andrew to Old Corona to his old lab to execute the first part of their plan. 

```

Varian felt numb when talking about his past. Looking back, he realized how young and naive he was. But never again. Andrew hurt too many people, hurt too many of his friends, and that man will pay. 

He didn’t realize he was crying until he felt Cassandra’s arm wrap around him. It was their second hug in the last 24 hours, but he couldn’t enjoy it. All the guilt and past mistakes were catching up with him, and now Andrew was using another one of his creations to terrorize and destroy. What happens if he gets his hands on the Flynnolium? He could blow up the whole kingdom! 

“Oh, kid…” Eugene murmured, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know…” he rubbed the back of his neck and looked down. 

After a minute, Cass pulled away from the hug, “I’m going to kill that bast-”

Varian held his hand up, cutting her off, “I think everyone here wants to.” he mumbled, wiping his eyes, “What I want to know is how he got his hands on the designs...I was sure they were destroyed in the fire.” he placed his hand on his chin as he thought about it. 

“That’s a good question, but if what the Captain says is true, we need to get to the Spire as soon as possible.” Ruddiger piped up. He remembered all of that. He remembered watching Varian fall for the lies and charm of the devil, and he remembered the sadness and fear he felt that he had failed to protect him...also, he didn’t like the feeling of being replaced. It was horrible. 

Varian sniffed and nodded before glancing at his friend, “You’re hungry again, aren't you?”

“I have a fast metabolism, what can I say?” Ruddiger shrugged, “I remember Demanitus would talk about the Keeper of the Spire always having the best snacks.” 

“Wait, Demanitus?” Eugene asked, confused, “Am I missing something? Who are you?” 

“Oh, I’m Varian’s best friend,” Ruddiger said with a grin.

“Uh, first, I’m Varian’s best friend. Team Awesome, have you heard of it?” Eugene said defensively, “Second, I asked you who you are, not what you are.” 

“Eugene, this is Ruddiger.” Varian said, feeling a bit better and amused by the two, “Turns out he used to be Demanitus’s Assistant, and when Zhan Tiri went bad, he was turned into a Raccoon and was trapped as one until a few days ago.” He looked at Ruddiger, “Does that sum it up?”

“Missing a few pieces, but pretty much.” Ruddiger shrugged. 

“You and I really need to talk so you can tell me the full story,” Varian said, walking over to Eden. 

“We really do.” Ruddiger agreed. 

Varian looked at Eugene and then Ruddiger, “Would you be okay if Eugene rides Breeze? He doesn’t look like he could climb a mountain.”

“Hey! I’ll have you know I can!” Eugene’s protest fell flat as Ruddiger crossed his arms and pouted at Varian. 

“But I just got a horse!” he complained, “I don’t want to have to walk!” 

“Oh, for, god sake!” Cass rolled her eyes and walked over to Eden, “Eugene, take Fidella, I’ll ride with Varian...happy?” 

Ruddiger eyed her with a knowing smirk, causing the woman to avert her eyes and her cheeks to heat up, “Yes.” he snickered and climbed on Breeze. 

“L-lets go!” Varian stammered and gestured for Cass to get on Eden first. 

\---

Today was certainly a long and emotional day, but it was all worth it when they finally made it to the mountain. 

Cass shifted a bit behind Varian, “Maybe we should just go to the vault…” 

“But, we need the key,” Varian said, glancing behind him to her. 

“Oh, trust me, attempting to pick the lock would be better,” Eugene said, for once agreeing with Cassandra. 

“And be mauled by the Guardian of the Spire? No, thanks.” Varian shook his head, “We are going to the Keeper. I don’t care how annoying you claim she is.”

“That’s not really all of why I want to avoid that place..” Cass mumbled when it clicked in his head. Oh yeah, Cass kidnapped and almost killed the Keeper...he was sure that wouldn’t become a problem. 

At that thought, all of them were snatched up in a rope trap. 

Or it could have made the Keeper more paranoid….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY ARE FINALLY AT THE SPIRE!! 
> 
> But what will Collope do? Why is she setting traps? How will Varian react to the street magic enthusiast? Will she correct Varian's pronunciation of "Spire?" 
> 
> Discord: https://discord.gg/7MYgA4a


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry about the wait!! Trust me, you won't have to wait long for the next chapter! 
> 
> I hope you like this chapter and thank you so much for reading this story and you're ongoing support! Without you, this story wouldn't be here and I am so grateful for each and every one of my readers! I love you all and thank you for being patient with <3 
> 
> Thank you and Enjoy!

"Great! Just great! I walk for Miles! Through rain and shine, through night and day, and where do I end up?" Eugene complained, "Trapped in a net with the Queen of the Cobras, Dr. Alchemy, and Raccoon breath!" 

"Careful, Fitzherbert, or you might not return to Corona in one piece," Cass threatened him with a growl. 

"Besides, I don't think you can use the name, "Dr. Alchemy," Ruddiger pointed out. 

"oh, why is it some secret best friend nickname you have for him? Too bad!" Eugene glared at the other man. 

"uh, no...but you cant use it." Ruddiger looked up at the sky, "It belongs to another…"

"What?" Eugene asked in confusion, "to who?" 

"Okay! enough!" Cass snapped at the two, shifting in the net, "We need to get out of this, and the last thing we need is you two to be wrapped up in some idiotic competition."

Varian looked at the trap, thoughtfully, "I can't believe I missed such an obvious trap. traps are my thing."

"This is like the fifth trap you walked into since the start of this trip." Ruddiger pointed out.

"True, but I've been distracted." Varian mumbled, taking out his knife, "Everyone hold on." he instructed and cut through one of the ropes that caused the whole net to unravel. 

The four humans, plus the horses, fell from the trap with a grunt. Varian looked up at the weight on top of him, met Cassandra's eyes, and smiled at her as her face turned pink. She scrambled to her feet and offered him her hand to help him up. 

He took the offered hand gently and gave it a small squeeze before reluctantly letting go and dusted the front of his clothes with a sigh. 

Eugene looked at the trap with a frown, “Someone is a little paranoid.” He looked at Cass with a raised eyebrow, “Your little encounter must have really spooked her.” 

“Hey. this is not my doing.” She crossed her arms stubbornly, but Varian could read the “I hope” written on her face as she gazed up at where the Keeper’s house was. 

“Well, well, well, look who escaped my trap of doom!” A nasally voice exclaimed before a poof of smoke appeared in front of them, causing them all to start to cough. 

“Behold, the majestic, magical, magnificent, Keeper of the Spire!” The smoke cleared to reveal the small form of Calliope.

“Ugh.” Cass rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, “Here we go.” she mumbled under her breath. 

“Oh, it’s you.” Calliope narrowed her eyes when she spotted Cass, “Come to try and kill me again? Entrap me in a lamp for hundreds of years? Go ahead, try, I dare you.” 

“Someone has some...spunk.” Eugene complimented halfheartedly. 

“Eugene!” Calliope exclaimed, “It’s so good to see you, and I’m sure you are even happier to see me!”

“Well, there are some I would like to see a lot less, so I suppose so.” Eugene nodded with a tight smile. 

“Look, we don’t have time to visit.” Cass cut in, “We need help.”

“Ah-doy, why else would you come to the Keeper of the Spire unless you needed my help?” She asked with a roll of her eyes, “But I can not help.”

“What, why not?” Cass exclaimed, her eyes narrowing. 

“Because of you. I can’t help, not until you apologize.” She crossed her arms and looked away, “I had a bad case of Post Traumatic stress after what you did to me.” 

Cass gritted her teeth and closed her eyes in annoyance. She took a deep breath and mustered up the words, “I’m sorry.” 

“I’m sorry?” You think that would be enough?!” Calliope shook her head, “No, you cost me years of stress and therapy from the almost being trapped in limbo for ten thousand years in the lamp of Terror. And there is also you kidnapping me and tying me up and nearly have me skewered by the black rocks, that you also controlled.”

“Ugh, what more do you want from me?” Cass grit her teeth, “I said I was sorry! We are kind of pressed for time here!! 

“Look, if you help us, we all will watch you do your...latest ”magic,” Eugene bargained, though the look on Calliope’s face had him instantly regret it. 

“Oh, ho ho!! You are in for a most excellent treat!!” she clapped her hands, “Please follow me!” the Keeper gestured them to follow her towards her house. 

Varian made a face at the mention of “magic” and glanced at Ruddiger, “Rapunzel never mentioned she was a sorcerer.” 

“The Keeper is a master of all knowledge; I’m not surprised.” Ruddiger shrugged, his arm going around his friend’s shoulders as they followed the group up the hill to the house, “All I want to know is if she can cook...or garden or something.”

“Always thinking about your stomach.” Varian shook his head.

“Hey, I like to listen to my gut, and it’s telling me I need to eat something,” Ruddiger said, causing the younger man to laugh. It’s been a while since he laughed this much, and Ruddiger felt his heart leap with joy that he was able to help his kit a little with something as simple as a laugh.   
“Fine, fine, let’s get you something to eat.” Varian shook his head as they traveled up the road to the Keeper’s house.  
\---

“Why would you tell her we would see her magic? You remember how long it took her the last time she gave us a “small” performance!” Cass hissed at Eugene as they settled into the library.

“Hey, it got us in, and it got Ms. “It’s pronounced “Spire” to let you indoors.” Eugene crossed his arms, “I’m pretty sure a “thank you” is needed to be said.”

Cass rolled her eyes and crossed her arms with a pout, “I hate you.” 

“Love you too, sis.” Eugene grinned, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, “now sit and rest a bit. You remember how steep that mountain was.” 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re right.” Cass frowned and shrugged his arm off her shoulders, “Don’t touch me.” 

“Aye, aye, Captain Cranky.” Eugene saluted before settling in on the chair by the fireplace.

Cass walked over to Varian, who was looking at the library in amazement, “Have you seen so many books in your life?” Varian gushed as he looked over the different titles.

“Well, yes, since I’ve been here before.” Cass looked at him with amusement, “And also I went to the hidden library of Bane Locke, the biggest collection of books I’ve ever seen. For a nerd like you, I’m sure it would be a dream come true.” She teased as he playfully glared at her.

“Ha, ha.” he mumbled, “I may like to read, but it’s helped in a lot of tight spots.” he ran his finger over the spine of a book before letting out an excited gasp, “Michanikí Gia Archárious! In the original Greek?!” Varian pulled the book out and stared at it in awe, “Okay, I am in heaven.” 

“If you think that is good, you are in for a time of wonder and..uh….Wonder!!” Calliope said, coming into the library with a bowl full of Hard Candies of Ambrosia. 

“Oooh!” Ruddiger stood up and went to the bowl, “I haven’t had candy in like...400 years.” 

“You said you were 224?” Cass glanced at the gluttonous man in confusion. 

“Well, I’d say I’d pass for that age, maybe a bit younger, wouldn’t you agree?” Ruddiger plopped a candy in his mouth, “Mmm...I’m a the age where I don’t actually remember how old I am nor how long I’ve been a raccoon..., but I was Demanitus’ assistant, so I’m sure you can guess how old I am from him.” he mumbled around the candy. 

“Ahem, back to me, if you don’t mind, thank you,” Calliope said, fixing her glasses and waving Ruddiger and Varian to sit down. “Behold!” she said, holding up a glass, “A glass of milk!” she moved it so everyone can see.

“Well, it’s not water,” Ruddiger muttered, causing Cass to chuckle. 

“But is this?” Calliope asked and pulled a paper cone from her sleeve, “A cone of paper!” She showed it to everyone as well, “Now watch as I make the milk disappear!” She took the glass and poured it into the cone. She set the glass down and shook the cone. “Watch in amazement!” She said and unraveled the cone, and confetti came out instead of milk, “Wala! You may applause.”

Cass, Eugene, and Ruddiger clapped politely. Eugene and Cass were surprised that the trick actually worked. The three were surprised when Varian clapped enthusiastically over the trick and stood up from his spot. 

“That was amazing!!” Varian grinned, “How did you do it?” 

“Ah, a magician never reveals their secrets,” Calliope smirked, though looked just as surprised as the others that he liked it. 

“I thought you hated magic?” Eugene asked in confusion.

“That’s sorcery magic. This is sleight of hand illusions!” He looked at his friends with a shrug, “It’s different. Sleight of hand is all about timing a calculating the right time to do the trick.” 

“Ugh, Math, no wonder you like it.” Eugene made a face and crossed his arms. 

“I’m glad to see a fellow close up magic enthusiast.” Calliope smiled at Varian, “Do you know any tricks?”

“Sadly, no.” Varian sighed, “I tried to learn when I was younger, but I didn’t really have anyone to practice on other than my dad…and he wasn’t very thrilled about it.” 

Calliope gasped and patted his arms, “I’m so sorry to hear that; no one should be denied their inner magic calling.” 

“I did learn how to juggle, though.” Varian grinned proudly, “It’s uh one of my secret talents right next to playing piano and the accordion.” 

“You must show me!” the Keeper insisted, her hands reaching for the nearest thing that resembled balls before pausing, “Uh, not those...I don’t think we want to blow up the house of the Keeper.” she chuckled. 

“That’s fine. I have some apples in my bag.” Varian grinned, reaching in the bag. 

“Oh, no.” Ruddiger groaned, causing Cass to look at him. 

“Those apples are probably spoiled by now, anyway.” Cass tried to reassure the always hungry man. 

“They aren’t,” Ruddiger said with no uncertainty in his voice, “but that’s not what I’m worried about...it’s Varian’s juggling...it can get….dangerous.” 

Cass looked at him and then a Varian, “When he says it’s a secret talent..?”

“It means a deep secret that should stay locked away.” Ruddiger finished for her, causing her to wince. 

“Varian, I don’t think we-” But she was cut off by Varian, throwing three of the apples in the air and moving his hands quickly to catch them while the other tosses them in the air, “-you’re actually doing it.”

Varian flashed her a wide grin and a wink before catching all the apples and bowing before them, “Thank you, thank you.”

“Impressive, not as impressive as my trick, but you have potential,” Calliope said with a smirk. 

“That is true. I’m still trying to figure out where the milk went!” Varian nod looked at the empty glass on the table.

“Don’t touch my robe’s sleeve,” Calliope said quietly, and they noticed the white liquid drip from her hand.

“So, anyway, for my next trick!” Calliope grabbed her rings only to be interrupted by a loud knock on the door. 

Eugene looked out the window and frowned, “It’s Howard.” He looked at Calliope, “I’m sure your tricks are...um...great, but we need to stick a pin for the rest of the show for now. Corona has been overthrown, and the only way to save it is to get the pieces of the Mind trap.” 

Calliope looked down at her rings in disappointment but then looked up at Eugene and nodded, “I will take you to the vault and figure out how you can save Corona. Uh, you’re welcome.” She pushed her glasses up her nose, “there’s a door in the back, follow me.” she gestured for them to follow her. 

“Someone should stay and keep them distracted,” Eugene said and looked at Varian, “I’m going to stay and buy you some time to get to the Spire.” 

“Actually, it’s pronounced “Spirrre.” Calliope interrupted as she grabbed her key ring. 

Varian frowned, “No, it’s pronounced, “Spire,” Varian corrected her causing Cass and Eugene to pause in shock and look between the two.

“Ah, no. It’s Spirrre. It comes from the Latin word Spyra.” Calliope narrowed her eyes at Varian. 

“Spyra isn’t a word…” Varian said slowly, “Spire comes from the German word “Spier.” He corrected, which caused Calliope to narrow her eyes and stepped up to Varian, looking him up and down thoughtfully. 

“Guys, we have no time for this!” Cass interrupted as the knocking on the door became more violent. 

“Right.” Varian looked at Eugene, “You just got here. You can’t sacrifice yourself now.” 

“I wanted to make sure you were okay...Team Awesome can’t be Awesome without the Team.” Eugene smiled at his younger friend and looked at Ruddiger, “Take care of him.”

“I will.” Ruddiger shared a nod with Eugene in a truce. 

“If I manage to escape, which I probably will because I’m me…” Eugene checked his nails with a smirk, “We will meet up at Lance’s treehouse.” he looked at Cass, “If I get captured...punch Manbun for me.”  
“Oh, I will.” Cass nodded with a smirk, which caused Eugene to nod and straighten his back. 

“You guys better go,” he muttered, grabbing his sword and headed for the front door. 

“This way!” Calliope said, guiding them to the back door. 

Eugene made sure they were out of sight before he opened the front door and was met with the sight of Shorty leaning on the doorpost in a Guard’s uniform, “Hello, Captain!” 

\----

Calliope was surprisingly quiet, which Cass was grateful for. After Varian corrected her, she wasn’t as condescending, and she kept glancing at Varian. Cass was sure she could see smoke come from her head from the gears that seemed to be turning in it. Whatever she was thinking about, she was thinking hard about it.

“It’s a test.” Ruddiger said from his spot next to her, “An ancient test the Keepers have always done since the Spire was first established.” 

“What test?” Cass looked at Ruddiger with a frown, confused. 

“The test of the Spire.” the once Raccoon watched as the Keeper once again looked at Varian, “Correcting the pronunciation if something all Keepers do because they are searching for someone worthy to be their predecessor. Keepers are known for their knowledge, and people assume they know everything and are always right. No one dares to correct them, but if someone is smart and bold enough to challenge their knowledge, that is the perfect candidate for the next Keeper of the Spire. They are smart enough to understand all the knowledge they are meant to protect and bold enough to look outside of the box to expand knowledge.” 

“So you are saying Calliope wants Varian to be her apprentice?” Cass looked at Varian with a frown. 

“Pretty much.” Ruddiger nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets as they climbed the mountain. 

“How do you know?” Cass narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. 

“Demanitus was the one who came up with the test in the first place.” Ruddiger shrugged, “I just happened to be there.” 

“So, it is true.” Calliope slowed and looked at Ruddiger, “You are who I thought you were.” 

“I thought I am who I was, as well.” Ruddiger shrugged, causing Calliope to wince at his grammar, but she did not correct for once. 

“You are the assistant of Demanitus who was turned into a raccoon by his sist-” Calliope was cut off by Ruddiger, who ducked down behind a bush. 

“Did you see that?” Ruddiger asked, peeking out of the bush only to see the confused faces of his friend, “I thought I saw someone following us.” 

Cass frowned at him and looked behind her, and around them, there was no sign of the Guards, “Eugene must have distracted them.” she said and looked back at the man, “You probably saw Owl. He’s my eyes in the sky.” 

Ruddiger nodded and got out of the bush, “Maybe…”

Varian frowned at his friend’s behavior but decided to ask him about it later, “They not be following us now, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be soon.” He said, taking the lead on the path, “We need to hurry to the vault so we can get the Midtrap and hopefully a way to save Corona.” 

Ruddiger looks up at the mountain with a frown, “How are we going to get all the way up there?”

“I think I have an idea,” Calliope said, smirking, before taking out a whistle and blowing on it. 

“What the heck was that?” Cass asked, annoyed with the young woman, “You could have just given away our position!!” 

“Uh, I just got us a way to climb the mountain quickly.” she crossed her arms with a frown as a growl is heard from a distance and then the sound of running, “Uh, you’re welcome.” she looked away from Cass and smiled when she saw her Kurlock. 

“There’s my good boy!” She exclaimed and ran to the bear-like beast and scratched under its chin. 

“Your Kurlock grew since I last saw him,” Cass said, taking a step back and placing a hand on her sword. 

“That tends to happen in four years.” Calliope said, “People grow.” 

Cass couldn’t help but glance at Varian at her words and nodded in agreement, “Yeah, they do.” 

“I know I’ve grown a lot. I happen to be the first Keeper in 150 years to know all the names of the Spire’s one hundred most dangerous artifacts.” Calliope bragged, “I think I even surpassed my former master in the amount of knowledge I’ve gained.” 

“Glad to know modesty was one of the qualities you learned as you grew as a person,” Cass muttered under breath. 

“But enough about how amazing I am, get on the Kurlock>’ Calliope gestured to the beast, “He will climb us up to the top in no time.”

“Uh, no way am I getting on that thing.” Cass crossed her arms, “Last one I encountered tried to eat me.”

“Yeah, but that was his mother. She was trying to protect him from harm.” Calliope explained, “This one I trained, on my own, and ridden him many times up to the vault of the Spire, it’s completely safe.” 

Varian held his hand out to Cass with a small encouraging smile, “Doesn’t hurt to try?” 

Cass let out a sigh before taking his hand and nodding, “If I die, I blame you.” 

“Fair enough.” Varian chuckled and got on the beast after her and Ruddiger behind him. 

It was odd riding the beast without a saddle or something to hold on to, but the Kurlock was fast and got them to the top in no time. 

“See?” Calliope said smugly, “I told you I could get us up here quickly.”

“I have to admit I underestimated you.” Cass said, looking down at the woman, “I’m sorry.” 

“Just make sure you don’t do it again.” Calliope crossed her arms and smirked proudly, “The Keeper of the Spire is the smartest in all the land.” 

“And now I wish she fell off the cliff we were on,” Cass muttered to Ruddiger and crossed her arms as Calliope searched her ring of keys. 

After a minute, Calliope got the door open and threw them open with a bang, “Behold! The Spire!” She held her arms out before she started to cough, choking out a, “Ah, I swallowed a moth!” 

Ignoring the coughing Keeper, Varian walked through the doors and froze at the sight. So many artifacts, it was incredible. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and looked at Calliope, who finally stopped choking. 

“The Mind Trap is this way.” She gestured them to follow her and walked past the staircase towards another room, “After what happened last time,” she gave Cass a pointed look, “I locked this baby tight. No one can get it without me.” 

She stopped at a door and pulled a key from her ring, and unlocked the door only to come back out a moment later, “heh, wrong room.” 

“What do you mean, wrong room? Don’t you know where you put it?” Cass frowned and placed her hands on her hips. 

“Of course, I do!” Calliope defended herself before looking down sheepishly, “I just forgot I moved it to somewhere else, and I forgot where,”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Cass growled, “Do you have any idea where it could be?” 

“I know it’s in one of the rooms with a blue door,” Calliope said.

Cass looked around and at the doors that lined the halls before something dawned on her, “They all have blue doors!!” 

“Uh, yeah, so we better get looking, slowpoke.” She rolled her eyes and walked over to a door and opened it only for there to be a loud growl, and she quickly closed it, “N-not in there!’ 

“I think we should split up, cover more ground,” Varian said, looking at Cass, who nodded in agreement. 

“Yes, let’s do as I suggested and split up.” Calliope said, and looked at Ruddiger, “Come on.” 

Varian looked at Cass and let out a small laugh, “She is something.” 

“Ugh, I hate her so much,” Cass grumbled as they walked down the hall to the next door. 

“At least we are finally here.” Varian smiled at her, “Half the battle is done...next is...figure out how to save Corona…” 

“What Eugene said before...about us being the last hope.” Cass looked at Varian with a frown, “He didn’t mean you on your own...you know that, right?” 

Varian stiffened at her words, and though he wanted to believe her, he knew that she was wrong. Sure, she was there to help in the fight, but it was up to him to find a solution actually to save everyone. The fate of the war rested on his shoulders. He just wished he knew what to do. 

Suddenly something overtook Varian, causing him to freeze. He felt a shiver go down his spine, but there was no wind. He looked around, and he saw it. There hanging on the wall was a large mirror with dust covering it. 

“What is it?’ Cass asked, looking at Varian with a frown. 

Varian couldn’t speak. He just stared at the dusty mirror. This was the mirror in his dream! What was it doing here? 

He raised his hand slowly and wiped the dust off the glass, causing the mirror's frame to glow and a latch to unlock. The mirror was a hidden door, Varian realized. He looked at Cass before pushing on the glass and going inside. 

“Varian!” Cass hissed before letting out a sigh and following him in. 

As soon as both were inside, the door shut behind them, locking them inside. “No!” Cass cursed under breath and hit her fist against the wall. 

Varian looked around the room, and it was mostly empty except for a large chest against the wall filled with scrolls. Varian walked over to it and lifted one of them to look at curiously, “The Fallen Star.” he read aloud before setting the scroll back down. He looked at the other side of the room and noticed a large portrait hanging there. It was old and faded, but he could tell it was well cared for. 

What surprised him was who was in the portrait. Staring at him with smiles and arms wrapped around one another was none other than, Demanitus, Zhan Tiri, Ruddiger, and a child he didn’t recognize. 

“What is this place?” Cass asked, coming up behind him and looking at the portrait with an unreadable look. 

“Stardust.” 

Varian heard a voice, and he looked around the room, but no one was there. 

“Varian?” Cass asked, looking at her friend with concern, “are you okay? You’ve gone pale.” 

Varian didn’t reply. He suddenly felt drained and could barely keep his eyes open. He stumbled backward and felt Cass catch him before he could fall. 

“Varian!” she shook him, “Varian, are you okay? Talk to me!” 

He could barely focus on her before his eyes fell closed, and everything turned black.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE! Another chapter?? :O 
> 
> Thank you again for all the love for the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one <3

_Varian opened his eyes and was met with a sight of...Ruddiger?_

_He blinked a few times, but yes, it was his once Raccoon, but he looked different. His complexion wasn’t so sickly pale but had a nice pinkish peach that covered his face. The dark circles around his eyes were gone, making him look less like a raccoon and more of a young man. His hair lacked the white stripes that resembled a raccoon tail. In fact, the ponytail he sported since the Garden of Desire was completely gone, and his hair was messily trimmed, save for the long bangs that hung from his forehead that resembled his own._

_Another different thing was his eyes. They were still the same shade of gray, but they were different. They had a shine and innocence in them that he’s never seen. His friend looked...happy._

_“Ruddiger?” Varian asked, waving his hand, but the young man paid him no attention. His eyes were locked on something behind him. He turned to follow his gaze and saw a young woman with short blonde hair, wearing a pink dress, rushing towards him with a broad grin._

_Varian’s eyes widened, and he stepped out of the way just in time for the woman to run right past him and into the waiting arms of Ruddiger. The young man spun her around before stealing a kiss from her._

_He felt his face heat up from such an intimate moment between what appeared to be the two lovers. They were almost as bad as Rapunzel and Eugene from how much love shone in their eyes as they stared at the other._

_Breaking the kiss, the woman grinned at Ruddiger and twirled a strand of her short golden locks with her finger, “So, what do you think?”_

_“You look amazing, Pom.” he murmured, kissing the top of her head to emphasize his point, “Though, I still feel bad about being the reason you had to cut it, to begin with…”_

_She shook her head affectionately and kissed his cheek, “I like it better this way, to be honest.” she smirked up at him, “But next time, remember what Demanitus said, “keep the alchemy to him.” she laughed, tapping his nose with each word._

_Ruddiger rolled his eyes but nodded, “Yes, m’lady.” he took her hand in his and gave it a soft kiss, “Care to come to help me with my duties in the lab?”_

_“I wish I could, but I need to get home. Papa needs me to help in the orchard.” She sighed softly._

_“Aww! I would love to spend all afternoon in the orchard.” Ruddiger pouted, “Instead, I’m stuck inside with two geniuses who argue with words I don’t know the meaning of.” he rubbed his forehead, “It gives me a headache just thinking about it.”_

_“They're still fighting, huh?” Pomallina frowned, “I’m sorry, Rud...how is she dealing with it?”_

_“She’s doing okay, it scares her, but she knows nothing bad will come from it.” He shrugged and played with her hand in his, “Let me come pick apples with you?”_

_“Sorry, love.” She murmured, brushing his hair back from his face, “but you know if you skip your chores, their anger would be towards you instead.”_

_“Why do you have to be right?” Ruddiger grumbled with a pout before nodding, “Fine, fine.”_

_She let out a soft laugh and placed a small kiss on his cheek, “Maybe tomorrow you can come to help me.” she murmured, causing him to brighten up and grin, “And if you want, I could talk to your sister? Maybe she just needs someone to vent to.”_

_Ruddiger thought over what she said and nodded, “Yeah, you might be right...yeah, okay.” he smiled and hugged her one last time before letting the woman he loved go, “Thank you.”_

_“Anything for you, Raccoon Boy.” She winked with a laugh._

_“I love you too, Little Apple.” Ruddiger watched her walk down the path; her laughter twinkling through the air like a bell._

_Varian stood there awkwardly and decided to get his friend’s attention again, but with no results. Ruddiger just turned and headed into the house. Varian frowned and followed after him._

_"Ruddiger?" Varian asked, but the young man just continues to ignore him. It was like he didn't hear or see him._

_"Is this a dream?" Varian wondered aloud before a sound of glass breaking, and loud voices started to argue with one another._

_Ruddiger looked in the direction of the sound of the arguing before letting out a sigh. He turned around and went up the stairs._

_Not knowing what else to do, Varian followed his friend. They went up the creaky wooden staircase to the second floor and down the hall to the third door to the left._

_Ruddiger paused at the door and took a deep breath before plastering a wide grin on his face and entering the room._

_“Ruddi!” Varian heard a small voice exclaim from inside the room. He walked into the room a bit more and was met with the sight of a simple bedroom with a few toys scattering the floor and a young child in the bed._

_“Hey, little lady.” Ruddiger said, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed, “How are you feeling?”_

_“Tired.” She let out a sigh and leaned back on her pillow, “Are they fighting again?” she whispered, hearing the faint screams from below._

_“Yeah.” Ruddiger suppressed a frown at the look on his niece’s face, “But, you shouldn’t worry about them. You should rest.” he adjusted her blanket._

_“I can't, not without Whiskers.” She mumbled, her lips forming into a pout, “He jumped off the bed.”_

_Ruddiger let out a soft chuckle before looking at the patchwork stuffed Rabbit he made for her on the floor, “Now, Whiskers, what did we say about you jumping off the bed?” He asked the toy, picking it up off the floor, “You could hurt yourself.”_

_The little girl let out a giggle, “No, he won’t, he’s stuffed.”_

_“Hmm, I suppose you are right.” He handed the rabbit to her, “Like always.”_

_She giggled more that turned into a coughing fit, which caused Ruddiger’s face to turn to one of concern. He helped her sit up and adjusted her pillow, so she was sitting up. He moved a strand of her hair from her pale face and pressed a kiss to her forehead._

_“Get some sleep, Zerina.” he murmured, gazing at her with the same glint in his eyes that Varian recognized. He cared about this child and was worried about her. From the way her cough sounded, Varian could understand why._

_Varian stood by the doorway as he watched this younger version of his best friend hummed under his breath a lullaby to help lure the girl to sleep._

_Once her breath grew even, he sat there for a few more moments, just staring at the little girl with pity. He took a deep breath and wiped his eyes before standing up. “Time to face the music,” he mumbled to himself before blowing out the candle and leaving the room._

_Varian took one last glance at the darkened room before following Ruddiger out of the room._

_Suddenly, he was in a lab. He could smell the different chemicals and oil from the machines in there. He was in Deamnitus’s lab! He felt like he could die right there and be happy. This was a dream come true...and considering that was a dream...a dream come true in a...dream…_

_He was cut out of his musings when Demanitus entered the lab, his face red with frustration, as a woman followed him, looking equally annoyed and upset._

_She looked different from the one he saw. Like Ruddiger, she wasn’t as sickly pale and her eyes, though still in a purple hue, had blue mixed in the irises. Her hair, however, was still a lavender color that was braided into an elaborate bun._

_Her lips curled into a scowl when she realized that Demanitus ignored her now, which caused her to become even more furious. Her hands clenched into a fist, and she moved in front of Demanitus._

_“Tell me, right now!” She growled, “What is in that precious Corona that forces you to leave our daughter and me for weeks at a time?”_

_“You know, with the Kingdom slowly growing, the King needs my help.” Demanitus turned to face her, “Our research doesn’t come cheap, Zhan, you know this.”_

_“What research?!” She cried, “You lost focus! You haven’t looked at the Moonstone and Sundrop scrolls in months! All you care about is your precious Corona.”_

_“You know that’s not true.” The Alchemist tried to defend himself, but he refused to look at her. He was hiding something, and it just made her anger boil. They were partners in their research, and in life, they were supposed to share everything._

_“Oh?” She frowned, her accent thick as her anger laced in her words, “Well, you certainly care more about it than your family.”_

_His frown deepened, and he refused to meet her eyes, which caused her to scoff and turn her back to him._

_“You haven’t looked at me or touched me in months.” She muttered after a minute, “I’m your wife...but you treat me like a stranger.”_

_Demantius let out a heavy sigh before turning to face her, “You’re right.” he murmured, “I haven’t treated you the same...I’m sorry.”_

_She looked at him with a frown, “Please, tell me what’s going on...what happened when you went to the garden?”_

_Demanitus looked at her and took her hand in his, “I saw my worst fears and...I was shown the future.”_

_Her eyes widened at that, “What did you see? Zarina was she..?”_

_“I don’t know…” Demanitus sighed again, “That world is strange and unpredictable, and what I saw might not come to pass...but I’ve been on edge ever since.”_

_She stared at her husband. She was sure there was more to it, there was more that he didn’t tell her, and it frustrated her, but at least she got a little out of him._

_“This is why we must continue with our plan to find the Sundrop and Moonstone.” She squeezed his hand, “If we use the healing incantation…”_

_He looked at her and smiled at her for the first time in months, “She might get well.”_

_“With you wielding the Sundrop and me with the Moonstone, she would never have to know illness or suffering ever again.” She promised, her eyes drifting to the walls to their research._

_Demanitus stared at the woman, and his lips twitched into a frown. The hunger in her eyes for the power matched the power-crazy version of her he saw in his vision. He refused to let that future come to pass. He would not let her fall to the darkness. He didn’t want to call his wife his sworn enemy, but at the same time, he’s seen snippets in her already, and he was scared. Scared that if he told her what he found, she would become overwhelmed with want for it. No, it must stay a secret. No one, but Rud, must know about the existence of the fallen Star._

_“We’ll start on the research again.” Demanitus finally said, watching as her face twisted into a smile only for it to fall at his next words, “As soon as I return from my trip for the King.”_

_She pulled her hand from his, and she rolled her eyes, “Fine.” she grumbled, her irritation coming back in her tone, “I’m going to go check out Zarina.” She muttered as she exited the lab and slammed the door behind her._

_“Well, that could have gone better.” Ruddiger piped up from the spot he was quietly sweeping in, “Next time, I wouldn’t leave it on the fact you are leaving again after she said she doesn’t like you leaving.”_

_“Rud?” Demanitus asked his assistant and brother-in-law._

_“Yes?” He looked at the genius curiously._

_“Please keep your nose out of my marriage.” He ordered, walking over to a mirror and pressing a hidden latch._

_“Hey, it’s your fault for making me your assistant. You get love advice free with the deal.” The young man leaned on his broom, joking._

_He rolled his eyes but opened the hidden door behind the mirror and took out scrolls he kept hidden in there. “I almost have this translated, and once I have the incantations...maybe, just maybe….I can save my family.” Demanitus mumbled._

_“Well, you will always have me,” Ruddiger said, patting the older man’s shoulder before going back to his cleaning._

_“That is true.” Demanitus smiled, “You’re like a cockroach. I couldn’t get rid of you even if I wanted to.”_

_Ruddiger let out a gasp, “And here I thought you valued my loyalty.”_

_“I do.” Demanitus looked at him seriously, “Rud Tiri, you are the most loyal assistant I could ever ask for, and for that, I am grateful.”_

_“I try.” He shrugged, his face heating up from the compliment._

_“How’s Pomellina?” Demanitus asked him, changing the subject._

_The young man looked at him with surprise, “She’s doing well. She likes her new haircut.”_

_“That’s a relief, especially when you were trying to show off.” Demanitus glanced at the young man, whose face was as red as a tomato, “What is she doing this afternoon?”_

_“She’s helping her dad in the orchid.” He mumbled, suddenly focused intently on sweeping one spot._

_Demanitus eyed him and then looked down at the scrolls. He knew how much Ruddiger liked the orchardist’s daughter and knew he would rather be in an apple tree, picking apples than being inside the lab with him. Science wasn’t the boy’s calling, and he knew that but he didn’t want to lose him as his assistant, not yet….but that didn’t mean that once in a while he couldn’t throw him a bone._

_“I think I can manage the lab if you want to help in the orchid,” Demanitus said, hiding a smirk when he heard Ruddiger drop the broom in shock._

_“Y-yes, sir!” He grinned, running past Varian and out of the room._

_“He must have really loved her,” Varian said to the other Engineer, but as he was starting to get used to, Demanitus didn’t acknowledge him._

_He walked further into the lab and looked around in awe before moving over to where Demanitus sat, “I have so many questions I wish I could ask you.” he mumbled, “But the ones that I really wish I could ask is “what?” He frowned, “You’re married to Zhan Tiri? How is that possible? And Rud TIri? Ruddiger is Zhan Tiri’s brother? Why didn’t he say? And your child...what happened to her?”_

_He let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair, “I wish I could speak to you for real.” He sighed before moving behind him, trying to take a peak from over his shoulder at the scrolls he was reading._

_“Celestial stars up high,” Demanitus read from the scroll, “Hear my broken cry…”_

_Suddenly everything around Varian changed, and he was no longer in the lab but his own house. He rubbed his eyes, taken aback at how quickly everything changed. What was he doing here?_

_It looked different than what he was used to. It was cleaner, and there were fewer scorch marks on the wall from his failed experiments, but it also held blankets draped over chairs and rattles laid on the table._

_His inspection was cut off from a wale of a baby and a gentle voice trying to soothe the cries. He felt his heart quicken with excitement at the sound of the voice and allowed his feet to carry him to the sound._

_He stood in the doorway and stared at his mother as she tried to quiet the small bundle in her arms, “Shh, it’s okay, Stardust.” she whispered, “Mom is here, and nothing will hurt you.”_

_“How is he?” the tall, broad shoulders of his father appeared behind Varian, causing him to jump and move out of the way. He watched as his younger-looking father walked over to his wife and their child, his face full of concern._

_“He’s still running a fever.” She whispered, her eyes brimmed with tears, “Any word from the physician?”_

_Quirin looked down at the babe in her arms and let out a sigh, “He won't be here until nightfall.”_

_“Quirin….” she looked at her husband, “I’m scared, what if something happens to Varian? What if he gets worse?”_

_Quirin placed his hand on his son’s head and rubbed his forehead gently with his thumb, “he’ll get through this.” he looked at his wife and smiled, “he’s spirited like his mother.”_

_“I hope you’re right.” she looked down at the bundle in her arms, refusing to let him out of her arms, let alone out of her sight._

_“I have to go check on the crops.” he pressed a kiss to Varian’s head and then kissed her cheek._

_“How is it out there?” She looked at Quirin, trying to distract herself from her worry._

_“About the same as last year.” He let out a sigh, “The land just doesn’t want to grow anything. I don’t know how Old Corona will survive at this rate. We may have to go to the King again this year.”_

_His wife took his hand in hers, and she gave it a gentle squeeze, “Do you think he will be willing to help again?”_

_“After what happened to the Princess, I don’t know what to expect from him.” he looked at his wife, “it’s been four years, and he’s still torn up about what happened, and he’s been unpredictable.”_

_“I’m sure he wouldn’t let his people starve.” She looked at him, “I don’t know what I would do if I lost Varian, but causing others grief as well doesn’t seem logical.”_

_Quirin sighed and kissed his wife again, “Let’s hope we don’t have to ask.” he mumbled before leaving the house._

_Varian watched as his mother moved over to a wooden chair and sat down, cradling the child in her arms gently._

_“Hello, little one.” she spoke to the bundle, “look at you.” she rubbed his cheek with her finger, “So beautiful.”_

_The baby opened his eyes and looked up at his mother curiously, “I love you, stardust.” she whispered and kissed his forehead. She shifted her hold on him and leaned back in the chair so she could look up at the ceiling while he rested on her chest. She cradled his head and gently ran her hand over his dark, quickly growing hair._

_“Do you know why I call you stardust?” she looked down at her baby, “Because you are refractory, just like the grains of dust from individual presolar stars. You’re stubborn, and nothing can hold you back...not any illness, and not any fear of the darkness of the night sky, because you come from a star and you shine.”_

_Varian sat in a chair by her and watched her as she spoke to his younger self. He never knew why she called him that, and he felt his chest warm with love and appreciation for the woman, as well as sadness. He wished she was there when he did fall into his darkness because despite her calling him a star, she was the light he needed to help guide him._

_“You know there is a story that was passed down from our family.” She stroked the little bangs that hung in his face gently, “It is said that we have little specks of stardust in us, and it will help us and protect us.”_

_Varian looked at his mother intrigued, he never believed in magic, but he didn’t know much about his mother’s family. It was always just him and his dad after she died, and his father didn’t speak about them. What was his history? Who did he come from?_

_“When I was a little girl, my mother told me a story that her grandmother told her, whose grandfather told her about the secret of the fallen star.” She chuckled softly, “I always thought it was just a story, a legend, but after I saw you for the first time, I couldn’t help but believe it because you are special...you made me believe in magic.”_

_At the mention of magic, Varian made a face and let out a sigh, and here he thought his mother believed in science like him. He molded his beliefs after hers, and to think it was all a lie?_

_“There’s a secret about our family, one that I will tell you when you are older.” She looked down at the child and caught sight of his curious eyes again, and let out a sigh, “Fine, I’ll tell you now, but it’s a secret between you and me, okay?”_

_She leaned in close to his younger self, and Varian found himself also leaning in to hear what she had to say._

_Her voice was soft, but he could still make out, “Thousands of years ago, there were an engineer and inventor named Lord Demanitus. He was a genius and learned many things in alchemy and magic. Along with his partner, Zhan Tiri, he was studying and searching for two powerful cosmic powers.”_

_Varian’s eyes widened as his mother started to tell him the story of Zhan Tiri and Demanitus, and his heart hammered in his chest. What did this have to do with this so-called “Family secret?”_

_“Many know the stories of the brave Lord Demanitus battling the wicked Warlock, but what they don’t know is that before she became corrupt, Zhan Tiri was just a woman.” she looked up at the ceiling as she tried to remember all the facts in the story, “They were in love and had a child.”_

_Varian nodded. He knew this as he thought back to the earlier part of the dream. He wondered what happened to their child?_

_“Many of the legends speak of the battles Demanitus and Zhan TIri fought in from her stealing his pupils to her changing her form to become a snowstorm to attack Corona.” She moved the blanket around the child to make sure he was still bundled up, “They always fought with the goal to find the moonstone and the sundrop, but there is one secret of the legend that was able to survive. There was a third cosmic power, one that Demanitus found and hid from Zhan Tiri, the fallen star.”_

_Varian’s eyes widened. There was a third stone? But how? The Sundrop and Moonstone fused and were sent back to space! What significance does a third have? Does it hold healing powers like the sundrop? Or did it cause chaos with black rocks like the moonstone?_

_“No one ever knew about the Star, no one but their daughter, who passed down the story to her children who passed it down to theirs all the way down to me telling you.” She smiled at the baby and kissed his forehead, “The Legend says that their daughter was ill and so to hide the secret and to try to heal her, Demanitus took dust from the Fallen Star and had her drink it, and she was healed. Scared of what Zhan Tiri might do, Demanitus took the child and hid her so Zhan Tiri couldn’t find her.”_

_Varian frowned, remembering how Zhan Tiri acted towards Demanitus when he seemed to be hiding something from her, “She must not have been happy.”_

_“Demanitus told her that her child had died...and the little bit of humanity Zhan Tiri had left was gone. She was nothing but a power-hungry demon. She was no longer human.” She looked down at the floor and frowned, “And that is why this was kept a secret...the stardust is in us, and if she ever knew, she could hurt her lineage.”_

_She straightened herself in the chair and shifted the child that looked up at her quietly, listening to the soft voice of its mother, “The magic is inside you, little one.” she whispered and stroked his hair as her mind wandered. She looked out the window, watching her husband work hard in the field, “you are a miracle, Varian, a precious miracle to us.”_

_It was quiet for a while after that, and Varian wondered if he would wake soon. He was overwhelmed with everything he learned, and saw...not only were Demanitus and Zhan Tiri married, Ruddiger was Zhan Tiri’s brother and...he was a descendant of Demanitus! Him! But he also was a descendant of Zhan Tiri...that explained a lot of why he easily fell for the draw of the darkness. He didn’t know how to absorb all this, nor did he know how he would explain all of this to Cass._

_His thoughts were broken once again when his mother started to sing softly, under her breath, “Celestial stars up high,” She sang, “Hear my broken cry,”_

_Varian’s eyes widened. It was the same incantation Demanitus was reading!_

_“With a heart so full and warm,” she looked back down at Varian and stroked his hair, “Show your hidden form,”_

_Suddenly a bright glow appeared under her hand that rested on his head, causing the woman to gasp and move her hand away. Before her very eyes, a bright white streak appeared in her son’s hair, glowing brightly._

_In a panic, she nearly dropped the child as she stood up and ran to the window, shouting for her husband to come inside quickly._

_Varian stood and looked at the baby in shock before his hand went up to touch his streak and noticed it was glowing as well. He gasped and strumbled back, bumping into the table behind him._

_He looked down to make sure he didn’t tip the table over, but he was no longer in his house when he looked up. “Mom…” Varian whispered disappointedly, but instead, he realized he was in the middle of what appeared to be a battle in the kingdom of Corona that was covered in smoke and ash. He looked around and saw his friends and family fallen to the ground, injured or trapped in Amber._

_He looked to his right and saw Cass fighting Andrew with everything she had, fury in her eyes, but Andrew overpowered her. He forced her to her knees and placed his bald to her throat._

_Varian growled and went running at Andrew, but he was beaten by himself...a future version of himself. Varian realized as he watched him push Andrew back with a burst of power from a stone in his hand. His full head of hair and eyes glowing a blinding white as he used the power of the Fallen Star to destroy Andrew once and for all._

_That’s when it hit Varian, why he was having these dreams, why all of this was being revealed to him. To save Corona, he had to find the Fallen Star and unlock the Stardust inside of him. He had his own magical destiny to fulfill, and he was determined to achieve it._

\---

Varian woke with a gasp and was met with the worried face of Cassandra. He took deep breaths and looked around, and realized that they were alone in the room with the chest of scrolls and the portrait of Demanitus and Zhan Tiri. 

His eyes flickered back up to Cassandra’s when he heard her sniffle and took note of the red that rimmed her eyes and how she held him in her arms. 

“Varian.” she whispered in relief and kissed his cheek before pressing her forehead against his as she let out a breathy sob, “I was so worried when you didn’t wake up. It’s been hours.” 

Varian frowned and reached his hand up and cupped Cassandra’s cheek, wiping a stray tear that escaped her eye with the pad of his thumb, “Cassie.” he murmured before gently pushing her away and sitting up. He took a deep breath and looked at her seriously, “We need to talk.”


	28. Chapter 28

Ruddiger watched as Varian and Cassandra headed in a different direction as the small woman pulled him down a hall that honestly looked like every other hall in the vault. How she navigated through here was a mystery, but he wouldn’t question the young Keeper’s methods. 

He stayed quiet, not sure what to say to the smaller woman. She was a bit annoying, but this was his first time alone with someone since he became human. He always had Varian, Cassandra, or even Fidella with him to distract people from him...so even if the woman wasn’t one of the most annoying to walk on the earth, he wasn’t very good at this. He wasn’t very good at making friends. Being a Raccoon made it easier because he didn’t really have to say anything. He was cuddly and was given automatic points in the friend department. 

So he kept quiet and just let her take him to whatever room she was heading. Calliope stayed silent as well as she led him through the labyrinth of halls. She had a faraway look in her eyes, seeming to be dazed until she stopped abruptly in front of a door. She looked at Ruddiger and gestured for him to go inside. 

“Is this where the Mind Trap is kept?” he asked the woman who shook her head. 

“Oh no, that’s the next hall over.” The keeper said, crossing her arms, “I hope..” she mumbled under her breath, “This room is for you.”

“For me?” Ruddiger frowned and knitted his brows together, “How...why?” 

“All Keepers kept it ready for when the Raccoon man returned,” Calliope said, taking out a key and opening the door. 

Ruddiger froze and looked at the door in shock. A room in there for him? What could possibly be in there for him? 

He scrambled his brain, trying to remember if Demanitus ever spoke about keeping something special in the Spire for him but was coming up blank. Just like most things were nowadays. 

He let out a sigh. After being a Raccoon for so long, his memory wasn’t as it once was. Thankfully, turning back into a human had helped with it, but there were still gaps. Important knowledge he knew he had to remember was hard to unlock, but then he would be napping or “taking care of nature,” and it would randomly pop up. He knew important points in his life...he knew he had to take care of the Stardust, and he knew why, but the small details? The soft moments with his love? It was fuzzy.

It was frustrating, but hopefully, his memory would be restored fully eventually. He wished Demanitus was there. He always seemed to know how to fix things like this. 

“So, are you going in or not?” Calliope frowned with an eye roll, “it’s not like this room has been waiting for its owner for a thousand years.”

Rudiger's eyebrows jumped to his hairline at that. A thousand years? Was that how long it’s been? Time passed quickly in his life as a raccoon. 

He looked at the door before pushing the door open and walked inside. 

The room was small and looked mostly like an attic. It smelled like one too. He waved his hand as he choked on the dust that flew in the air when the door opened. As he walked into the room more, the torches burst into flame, causing the once raccoon to jump back in surprise. 

He placed a hand on his chest and glanced behind only to see an empty hallway. Calliope left him in this creepy looking room. Great. 

He turned and walked into the middle of the room. His eyes flickered over the crates and boxes before something caught his eyes. All at once, a memory hit him, causing him to grab his head at the quickness of the memory. 

\--

It was a week since he moved in with his sister and her new husband, but it passed in a blur for him. The shock of everything that happened and the grief that now weighed on his chest was too much. He was numb, not wanting to move from his cot, nor wanting to eat. His sister tried to coax him out of his room, but the pain was too much. He could see the worry in her eyes. He wanted to put on a smile and tell her everything was okay. He knew she was hurting too, but he didn’t have the energy. But could you blame him? No 14 year old should have to deal with pain like this. 

His hand clawed at his chest as another sob escaped him. His heart hurt. It burned in his chest, and he wished he could just remove it. Maybe then it wouldn’t hurt so much. 

He closed his eyes as his mind replayed the event over and over in his head and felt the guilt build more and more until it was drowning him. He gasped for breath, but what was the point in breathing? He didn’t deserve to breathe. 

It started as a normal day. His mother and his younger sister were preparing dinner in the house, and he and his father were in the wheat fields tending to the crops. Things were normal; they were happy. That's when it happened.

They were in the middle of the field when a bright pink blob appeared out of nowhere. From the chill that ran down his spine, he knew it was magic. Then right before his eyes, the pink swirled into an image of another world. It was like looking out of a window. 

“Hortus Summo Desiderio,” his father breathed in shock, taking a step back, pulling him with him, “The Garden of Desire.”

Rud froze in awe at the small peek he had at the other world, the world his family was from. 

The Garden was once a majestic place everyone who lived there took care of and would live peacefully. One day, a shadow appeared over the garden, but what puzzled the people was that nothing cast it. 

The people were confused but continued with their work. Then the shadow multiplied, and one day they took the form of birds and flew through the garden, consuming everything in their path. The people tried to run, but only his parents and his older sister were able to escape. The village of people were caught in the birds’ mist and got lost in their inner desires. What was left was a forest of trees that were so thick, no sunlight could shine through. It was just dark. 

Rud reached his hand out to the portal, wanting to touch it, but his father pulled him back quickly as a dark creature flew through the portal. He looked at his son and told him to run and hide. 

He didn’t want to abandon his father to fight the creature alone, but he followed his father’s instructions and ran. He ran as fast as his legs could go, only to trip and fall in the field of wheat. He popped his head up and watched in horror as he watched his father fight the creature with his rake, but it proves to be of no use as the bird-shaped creature consumed his father. 

He heard screaming and realized it came from the other side of the field. There stood his younger sister as she stood frozen as she looked at the beast with terror. Quickly, she turned and ran back into the house, but the beast pursued her, and in seconds his home was gone along with the people in it. His father, mother, and sister were gone…

Guilt prickled in his heart as sobs escaped his mouth. He could have saved them, he should have tried, but he was a coward. They were dead because of him. 

So now what else can he do as such an imagine replays over and over in your head? Never being able to sleep because your dreams are plagued with nightmares. He was miserable and felt alone. 

He heard the gentle knock on his door and knew it was Zhan again, probably going to try and get him to eat dinner. He rolled over and brought his blanket over his head, hoping she would take the silence as a sign to go away. But stubbornness was a family trait, and she came in anyway. 

He heard her walk on the wooden planks of the floor and then felt her sit on the cot next to him, her hand going onto his back and rubbing it gently. 

They sat in silence until he finally relaxed under her gentle rub, and he let out a sigh before removing the blanket from his head to look at her. “I’m not hungry,” he said quietly, his voice deep from lack of use. 

“That is hard to believe.” she offered a small smile before removing her hand, “But that’s not why I’m here.” 

Confused, Rud sat up in the bed and looked at her, curiously, “Why then?” 

“I have something I think you would want.” she said softly, before holding up a folded garment of black leather, “This was fathers.” she rubbed her hand over the material before gently setting it down on his lap, “I want you to have it.” 

Rud didn’t know what to say. He unfolded the fabric and was in awe to see their father’s favorite jacket. One he wore every day, except the day of the incident. He was always forgetful, and he had forgotten it the night before when the family had dinner with Demanitus and Zhan. 

He brought it to his nose and inhaled, taking in the smell of cinnamon and wood. His father may be gone, but at least he had a part of him with him now. He reached up and wrapped his sister in a hug, tears threatening to fall in his eyes. 

“Thank you,” he whispered to her, causing her to squeeze him tighter. 

He never took the jacket off except for when he was doing his chores or was picking apples with Pomellina. It was too big for him. First, the sleeves going over his hands, but as he grew, he grew into the jacket, and no matter what happened in his life, he always had a little bit of his family with him still. 

\--

Ruddiger’s fingers ran over the worn, old leather, it’s seen better days, but since it was over a thousand years old, it made sense. He was honestly surprised it was in such good shape. 

Slowly he lifted the jacket and was surprised to see the stitching was still as good as he last wore it. He brought the jacket to his nose and inhaled, it still smelled like him, and it smelled like her. He smiled a little before slipping the jacket on. It still fits.

He paused when he saw a flash of pink lay under where his Jacket was once laid. His hands shook as he lifted the dress. Just like the jacket, it didn’t seem like any time passed since it was last worn. 

He backed up to the stone wall and slid to the floor, clutching the dress as memories flashed before his mind's eye before settling on just one. 

\---

It was about a month and a half since he moved to Corona to live with his sister and Demanitus. The pain of losing his family was still fresh and hurt, but he didn’t want to lose the family he had left, so he was trying. A little every day, he would come out of his darkroom to be with them. Honestly, he liked his sister’s husband. He was a good guy and seemed to understand his sister in a way he never could. 

Zhan was always the smart one. A genius. No matter how much he and their younger sister, Lyn, tried, they could never follow what their sister was talking about. She would rattle on about science and even magic, but they would just sit cross-eyed just thinking about it. 

He knew she was unhappy, always the outcast, but then she met him. He understood what she was saying and could have a full conversation with her about anything from some alchemy chemical to just the way a cloud looked. 

Demanitus was her soulmate, and if there was one thing Rud knew, he wanted what they had. He wanted to have someone he loved fully and completely and loved him in return. Someone who knew every fault and flaw but loved him despite that. No relationship was perfect, love was messy, but as a child who lost the people he loved the most, that’s all he wanted. 

He sat at the dining table, scooping the potatoes on his plate into his mouth when Demanitus came in, covered head to toe in soot and dirt. Immediately, Zhan came over to him with a basin of water and a cloth to wash with, shaking her head amused. “You’re getting dirt all over the place.” she laughed. 

“It’s going to take a long time to clean.” Demanitus sighed, “I was so sure I finally got it, but I guess my equations were off.” 

“Would you like me to take a look at them?” Zhan offered with a smile.

“I would love that.” He smiled at her and pressed a kiss to her cheek, causing her face to scrunch up in disgust, “You’re filthy!” she scolded, “Go clean up.” 

“I will. I will!” Demanitus said, holding his hand up defensively, “It’s the lab that’s going to take a while.” he paused and looked at Rud, “Hey, how would you be my helper? It would make the clean up go a lot quicker.” he smiled at the young man hopefully. 

“Uh…” Rud blinked in surprise when the conversation was suddenly directed at him. He wanted to say ‘no.’ He wanted to go back to his room and hide, but the look on his sister’s face and the sheer friendliness and warmth in Demanitus’s eyes just made his resolve melt, and he found himself nod without really thinking. 

He shoved the last of his meal in his mouth and stood up to follow Demanius to clean up his lab. What he didn’t realize was that a small, mashed potato stuffed nod was taken to mean he agreed to help Demanitus all the time as his assistant. 

He hated it. 

He was used to hard work from working on his family farm, but being stuck in a stuffy lab all day was not something he enjoyed. He would rather spend his days sweating in the sun, plowing and harvesting something he grew, and then take a nap under a nice, shady tree. 

Even with the tedious work and tasks he was forced to do, it was something to distract him from the pain in his chest. He no longer laid in the dark trying to fall asleep but can’t because the pain hurt too much. No longer did dreams of the event haunt him. He only slept in pure darkness induced by exhaustion. 

Zhan, however, knew him all too well. She saw what he was doing and offered to do the one thing she knew he would enjoy. She was going to bake a pie. Not just any pie, an apple pie. 

He loved apples. They were his favorite food on the planet, and so when she asked him to join her to go to the orchard, who was he but a gentleman to escort his sister to gather some ripe, juicy apples? 

When they got to the Orchard, he was in heaven. Acres of trees upon trees filled with the biggest, reddest apples laid before him, and he didn’t know where to begin. 

He happily rubbed his hand together, ready to pick apples with his sister, when a flash of pink caught his eyes. He turned his head, and an Angel was holding an apple with a small smile. She had long golden locks tied back with a white ribbon, warm eyes of smooth chocolate, and a smile that could brighten even the darkest nights. She was breathtaking and he, like the apple’s around him, fell hard. 

As if sensing his gaze, she looked his way, and their eyes met. She smiled and walked over to them, holding her own basket of apples.

Pomellina. 

Pomellina was the name of the angel. His heart beat hard in his chest as she introduced herself to him. He opened his mouth to introduce himself, but no sound came out. She made him speechless, and all words and thoughts rattled out of his head until she was the only thing he could think of. 

She was kind and sweet and gave the apples she picked to him as a welcome to the village. He was sure he died right then because all he could do was let out a weak squeak as she spoke to his sister and then waved goodbye to them. 

Later that night, he grilled his sister with questions about who she was, much to her amusement. He learned that she was two years older than him, she was the daughter of the orchard owner, and she was related to the King of the small kingdom. In fact, he was her uncle on her father’s side. He could tell she had royal blood, with the grace she had and the music like laugh she had, he didn’t doubt it one bit. 

He knew it was silly to fall in love with someone without really getting to know them first, but every part of his screams how much he wanted to get to know her. He needed to be at least friends with this girl. They were meant to be in each other's lives, whether it be one way or another. He didn’t care. 

For the first time in weeks, he smiled, and the apple pie his sister made was the best he ever had.

\---

He rubbed the soft fabric as tears formed in his eyes as he thought about his lovely Pomellina. His gloved fingers traced the embroidery of the bodice and took deep breaths as the memories came flashing at him all at once. It was too much. Too much pain and hurt, his heart ached. He pressed the dress to his chest as if it would somehow soothe the hollowness he felt in his chest. But it did nothing but make him feel numb with the realization that nothing and no one can ever close the hole where his heart once beat. No, his heart was like shards of glass laying on the ground, impossible to be put back together again. 

He shifted the dress and heard something cling against the stone floor. He wiped his eyes and caught sight of a glint of gold. He reached down and grabbed the chain of the necklace gently and felt a small smile grace his lips as a more pleasant memory took over the forefront of his mind. 

\---

They’ve been courting for quite some time, and things were going well. Pomellina’s father liked Rud, and her mother….well, she tolerated him. But he was sure that she appreciated his love for her cooking, even if it was buried deep, deep down. 

There was also Demanitus and his sister who thought Pom was a perfect match for him. She was handy in the house, but she was also brilliant. Always asking them questions when she came by to help him with his chores. He was sure she charmed them both easily and impressed Demanitus enough to have him offer her a spot as one of his pupils.

But the most important opinion was his young nieces. Zarina adored her. If the woman could make the angel of a child smile, he knew he made the right choice. 

He laid in a field of wildflowers and reached out his hand to his love and squeezed it gently. He made a perfect choice. 

“What about that one?” Pom asked, pointing to a random star in the sky, “it looks like a “Hortis” to me.” 

Rud looked up as well and tilted his head as he studied the star before shaking his head, “That star is too pretty to be a “Hortis.” 

“Oh?’ She laughed, shifting so her head laid on his shoulder, “And what would you name the star?” 

He looked at the brightly shining star in the sky and leaned his head on top of her head, “Pomellina.” 

“What?” She looked at the star with a small laugh, “Silly.” she shook her head in amusement. “What about that one?” She asked, but he didn’t look at the star. All his attention was on the star in his arms. 

“Also, Pomellina,” he replied, studying her features from where he laid. 

She laughed more at his response and shook her head, “You can’t name every star that.” 

“I think I can.” He said defensively. 

“It’s not how it works, love.” She murmured, looking up at him with love shining in her eyes. 

“It’s the most beautiful name I know,” he said softly, causing her to look up at him with a gentle smile. She kissed his cheek before settling in her spot. 

“I never want to move.” She whispered, closing her eyes as she took in his warmth. 

“I’m sorry to say you must.” he let out a fake sigh, “I...got you something.’ he said, almost shyly. 

She cracked an eye open and looked at the young man she was currently snuggled up with curiously, “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I wanted to,” he murmured and pulled a gold chain from his pocket and held it up to her. It was a long chain of pure gold with a large red stone pendant carved to look like an apple. “A little apple for my Little Apple.” 

She took it gently and ran her fingers over the stone gently, “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” she breathed before moving and kissing him softly on the lips, “I love it.” 

“I’m glad you liked it.” he chuckled, returning the kiss eagerly. 

“I love it...I...I love you,” she whispered, causing Rud to beam at her. Sitting up, he took the necklace from her and wrapped it around her neck, so it hung right above her heart. 

“I love you too, little apple,” he whispered back and kissed her back softly.

\---

His fingers rubbed over the red stone with a small smile before placing the chain around his neck and stuffing the necklace under his shirt, so it laid over his chest. 

He got up and took a deep breath, and let his eyes skim over the stuff around the room. He wanted to go through every box and everything in them, but he didn’t have time for that. He needed to get the Mindtrap, but Varian may agree to let him come back when they took Corona back. 

“I found it!” Calliope cried, coming through the doorway of the room, holding up the Mindtrap triumphantly. She took in his state and raised an eyebrow at the way he clung to the dress and then looked back up at him, “PInk’s not your color.” 

“What?” Ruddiger blinked, “That’s not why I-” he started to defend himself only for her to hold up a finger to silence him. 

“I don’t care what you do in your free time.” she looked at him bored, “Now let’s go give Varian the pieces of the Mindtrap that I found. You were no help at all,” She mumbled as she left the room.

“But you!” Ruddiger sputtered and followed her, “Hey, wait!” he shouted, following her down the halls once again in the labyrinth.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I just wanted to say thank you so much for reading and sticking with me this far. So much has happened since I started it 8 months ago and just thank you for sticking with me and sticking with this story. Without your love and support I wouldn't be writing, so thank you so much.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the next couple of chapters as we continue our quest to find a way to fight for Corona!

Cassandra couldn't believe it. She couldn't wrap her head around that the boy who wanted nothing more than to impress her who grew into a strong, smart, and she must admit, handsome man was related to that monster.

She looked over at the man who was currently hiding in his cloak with his face smashed in his knees and walked over to him. She may despise the woman, but Varian didn't know he was related to her, and she couldn't imagine what he was going through. 

She slid down the wall to sit next to him and wrapped her arm around him, rubbing his back gently. He moved his face from his knees and leaned against her, his head on her chest as he took in the comfort she offered. She gently ran a hand through his hair. 

"what are you thinking?" she murmured to him after a moment of them just holding each other. 

Varian looked up at the question and took a deep breath. He looked at the portrait on the wall licking his lips and ran his hand through his hair before he allowed himself to answer. "I don't know...I just can't wrap my head around it." he leaned his head against the wall and stared off into space. "All my life, I knew there was something different about me. I mean, I had this big ol' marker in my hair to let everybody know I was different." he let out a sigh and sniffled a little bit, "I'm overjoyed I'm related to my idol....but Zhan Tiri." he clenched his fists, "I hate her. For what she did to me, to Rapunzel, to Corona, but most importantly, to you." he wiped his eyes on his sleeve, "Why would Ruddiger keep this from me? he was supposed to be my best friend..." he felt his lips quiver as he tried hard to fight back the tears.

He took a moment to regain his composure, "I always felt a darkness bubbling inside me, and I spent my whole life trying not to be consumed by this..this anger I have locked away, but now it all makes sense, who did I inherit it from?" he took another shaky breath, "And Demanitus....I thought he was a shining hero of science, but he was a paranoid man who hurt the woman he was supposed to love..." his eyes drifted over to Cass, "I don't want to turn out like either of them..." he looked over to the chest with scrolls, "But I need to find the Fallen Star...I will save Corona, no matter who I'm related to and no matter what comes of me."

Cass frowned and placed her finger under his chin, turning his head to look at her. They both took a sharp breath from how close their faces were. Cass cleared her throat and moved her hand to place it on top of his. 

"Varian," she said, cursing silently from how strained her voice sounded. "I promise nothing will happen to you...you're not alone in saving Corona."

Varian looked at her with his tear-filled eyes, "Cassie…" he trailed off, "I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I can.." 

"It's okay to be scared." She wiped a stray tear from his face, "You taught me that." 

_"There’s a wind in the trees,"_ Cass started to sing, _"There is pollen in the flowers that want you to sneeze and have you sleep for hours."_

Varian looked up at her, listening to her angelic voice. 

_"There is a hole in the road, there are mountains in sight,"_ Cass continued, _"There’s a great river that flowed, but don’t let them leave you in fright."_

_"We can fight giants,  
We can fight giants,  
We can fight ogres,  
And Pirates,  
And Sirens,  
And giants,  
Oh, as long as I’m with you,  
I know I’ll be alright."_

Varian looked down and let out a sigh before singing, _"There are giants,  
That cast shadows that make us want to run and hide."_ he stared off into space, frowning, _"Big, Huge, GIants, blocking our way, to make us break our stride, their heads high with pride…"_

Cass put her hand back on his cheek and made him look at her as she sang again, _"But the holes we can fill, and the river can be crossed, and the trees have gone still, and with the stars, we can never be lost"_ She rubbed his back with the hand, not on his cheek, _"For we can fight giants…As long as I’m with you.." she held the note as she smiled at him._

 _"Whatever journey maybe ahead…"_ Varian sang, his hand going over hers on his cheek. 

_"I’ll be alright,"_ they sang together, holding the note.

Varian looked down again with a frown.

"Going after this Fallen star and being the Stardust…" he took a deep breath, "It goes against everything I stand for. I don't work with magic...a-and what if it's some sort of trap?"

Cass rubbed his cheek with her thumb as she listened to his worries and contemplated his words for a moment. 

"it might be." Cass agreed before meeting his eyes, "but it's like you said, this is the only way to save Corona." she licked her lips, distracting Varian for a moment, "But no matter what happens, I will protect you, and if you go to the dark I will pull you back to the light just like you did with me." 

"you mean it?" he breathed as their faces drew closer. 

"I promise, you will never have nothing left to lose again.." she whispered, her lips a hair away from his. 

Just then, the wall slammed open, causing the two to jump apart and glance at each other awkwardly. 

"There you are!" Calliope exclaimed, "What did I say about wandering off? thankfully I was here to save you."

"You never said that," Ruddiger said with a frown walking into the room as well. 

"You!" Cass cried while running at Ruddiger.

"Me?" he asked, confused, only to be pressed against the hard stone wall with a dagger near his throat.

"What does he mean you're the brother of Zhan Tiri?" Cass seethed, her knife digging into his throat.

"Ah." Ruddiger mumbled and looked between the two angry faces of his friends, "Makes sense."

“Why didn’t you say anything about this?” Varian asked, frustrated, “All this time, you knew who I was related to, what my destiny was, who I am, and you said NOTHING!” 

Ruddiger winced at the accusation and glared back at him, “You try being a raccoon for 400 years! Or was it 800? 996? 1069?” he mumbled numbers under his breath, as his eyebrows scrunched with confusion. “A very long time!” he finally decided on, “And you try to remember every little detail.”

“So you’re saying you remembered nothing?” Varian asked in disbelief, “You told me a story about your girlfriend.” 

Ruddiger looked pained at the mention of that and looked at Cass, who still had him pinned to the wall, “Look, let me explain, ok?” he asked them. 

Cass glanced at Varian, who nodded for her to let him go. She hesitated before moving the knife from his throat and taking a step back next to Varian. 

“Explain.” She said, narrowing her eyes at the once Raccoon. 

“As you know, by being a brilliant alchemist.” Ruddiger started, hoping that complimenting him would lessen his anger just a little bit, “A human brain can only hold so much information that memories can reach at periods of time.” he started only to be cut off by Calliope. 

“That’s not necessarily true.” She corrected, “There is no way of measuring a memory in the human brain nor how many you can have.”

Ruddiger huffed in annoyance, “That’s not what I meant. I have memories, they are there, but it’s hard to access them.” he tried to explain, “It’s like an Apple seed. The seed is inside the apple, but you can’t get to it unless you cut through the skin and the meat of the apple...you get what I’m saying?” 

Varian looked at him thoughtfully, “Because it’s been so long it’s hard to access memories?” 

“Yes! Now add being a raccoon for most of that time!” he threw his hands up, frustrated. 

“So the memory of Pomellina…” Varian trailed off, still confused by that. 

“Was triggered by Jessica.” Ruddiger explained, “Just like the few memories I’ve might have had or things I may have said.” 

“Great.” Varian let out a sigh, he took his goggles off his head and ran a hand through his hair, and started to pace, “I’m supposed to find the Fallen Star, and my one lead doesn’t know anything.” 

“I think I can be of help,” Calliope said, adjusting her glasses and walking over to a chest by the wall. “Let’s see,” she mumbled, taking out a key to unlock the chest, trying a few of them until it finally opened. 

She rummaged through the items in there before taking out a blue scarf, “Behold, the Scarf of Memory!” She exclaimed, “Or is this the Scarf of Forgotten Memory? I don’t remember.” 

“I think it’s the latter,” Varian said gently. 

“What about a ladder?” she looked at Varian, confused, who gently took the scarf out of her hands and threw it back in the chest. 

“Oh, right.” Calliope cleared her throat and looked back in the chest before taking a red scarf out, “This is the right one! I remember now! Good thing I didn’t let you use the blue one, uh, you’re welcome.”

“So this scarf will bring Ruddiger’s memory back?” Cassandra asked, ignoring the annoying behavior of the shorter woman. 

“Yes, that’s why it’s called the Scarf of Memory, do keep up,” Calliope said, causing Cass to growl and clench her fists. Varian quickly placed his hand on her arm to make sure she stayed calm. 

Ruddiger hesitated before accepting the scarf and placing it around his neck, “Well, I did want a red scarf.” Ruddiger said to Varian with a slight smile, which the other did not return, causing Ruddiger to frown. 

“Now, focus on what memories you want to access, and it will come to you right away,” Calliope instructed. 

What memory did he want to see? It’s tough to say there were so many he wanted to remember. 

He closed his eyes and tried to focus, “My name is Rud Tiri, and my age is...something I wish not to share.” He said, “But in all honesty, I prefer Ruddiger, so I think it’s best if we just stick with that.” 

“What do you know about the fallen star?” Varian asked him urgently, “Is it the meteorite that the Mother and Father were talking about in the Garden?” 

“No.” Ruddiger opened his eyes and looked at Varian, “Zhan Tiri and Demanitus were married.” he stared, causing Calliope to gasp in shock, “and had a child who was very ill.”

“Zerina,” Varian said, nodding, remembering her from his dream. 

Ruddiger looked at him curiously. How did he know that? “Yes, my niece. She was very ill, on the brink of dying, and that’s when Demanitus and Zhan got serious in their research for the moonstone and the sun drop,” he explained.

“They wanted to heal their child, just like the sun drop healed the queen.” Cass guessed, causing Ruddiger to nod. 

“They didn’t even have them yet, but they were theorizing of what the best way was to help save their daughter.” he continued, a fond smile threatening on his lips as he remembered his family, “Putting the Drop and Stone in a meteorite was one of those theories and was the plans Mother and Father overheard about.” he sighed, “Demanitus didn’t banish them because they tried to help, he banished them because they thought they could take the research and sell it for a quick buck. It was the only thing to save their daughter, and those idiots wanted to take it away.” 

Cass rolled her eyes, “what does this have to do with Varian’s destiny?” she asked, her voice cold as she glared at the man who she thought of as a traitor. 

“Everything,” Ruddiger said, looking back at her, “When Demanitus banished them, he got trapped in the Dark Forest.” 

At the mention of the forest, both Varian and Cass shared a look before a shudder went down their spines and looked back at Ruddiger, listening to his story. 

“The forest is chaotic and terrifying.” He said, looking at them, “As you both know, it feeds on your inner darkness and tempts you with a solution to it. It offers you happiness away from your past mistakes and inner demons in exchange for being trapped there for all time.” 

“It turns people into trees.” Varian said flatly, “I know.”

“The Forest isn’t dark because there are many trees there. It’s dark because of the creature that lives there.” Ruddiger said, “The Guardian...the one that chased us when we were there…” he trailed off as memories from before flashed before his foremind, “The same creature that killed my parents and little sister…” he mumbled, staring off into space. 

Varian frowned at the horrified, faraway look that appeared on his quite-a-few-great uncle’s face. The anger and hurt he had for him melted away as he realized that making him remember all this must be torture for him. Guilt replaced the anger, and Varian couldn’t help but walk over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. 

At the sudden touch, Ruddiger jumped and blinked a few times before clearing his throat, “After the attack which caused…” he trailed off, not being able to repeat it, “Demanitus worked on a machine that he could use to travel to different dimensions….the the same one he used on Zhan Tiri later on.” he glanced at Cass. He frowned at her flinch every time he said her name.

“He used it to trap the Guardian to the world he had come from and locked him away there.” he said, “Because of him being the Guardian’s capture, the forest was not kind to him. It didn’t show him his deepest regrets and past. It showed him a possible future, a future where his beloved wife would turn evil and betray everyone she once loved.” 

Varian’s eyes widen as he remembered in the dream his talking about a vision Demanitus had. He looked at Cass, who looked at him with shock and anger. She clenched her fists and placed her hand close to her dagger. 

"well, we all know how she ended up," Cass said coldly. 

Ruddiger looked down sadly, "Yeah, we do." he murmured. 

"what happened?" Varian asked his friend, seeing a haunted look pass over his face. 

"By trying to prevent such a future, he thought if he found a way to save Zarina, it would keep Zhan on a path of good." he played with the end of the scarf, his gaze going down to the floor. 

"After the vision, Demantius was haunted with nightmares. he saw the vision of Zhan over and over, but each time was worse than before." Ruddiger let out a sigh, "Zhan was worried about him, so she began research on dreams trying to find a way to soothe him, but it just made him more restless." 

"research on dreams?" Varian perked up at that curiously. 

"Yeah, like meanings behind them, etc. She even had a theory that someone was trying to communicate with him through the dream." Ruddiger recalled as Varian looked away, biting his lip. It was a similar theory he had about his mother in his dreams. 

"Of course, the research was fruitless since he refused to tell her what the dream actually was about. how could he?" Ruddiger ran a hand through his bangs with a sigh. 

"Anyways, Demanitus started to be paranoid and stay up all night working. Building contraptions to make the new Kingdom of Corona better. He threw himself into the work, which caused Zhan Tiri to grow aggravated." he licked his lips, "I was with Demanitus on one of his trips when we stumbled across a stone unlike we ever seen. At first, we thought it was the moonstone, but we knew it wasn't from the research and sketches we saw. It was shiny, like a chunk of silver, but it wasn't smooth. it had grooves and cracks in it, and when we got close to it, the cracks glowed a bright blue-ish white." 

As he spoke, Varian stepped closer and closer, hanging onto his every word. The stone sounded like the one he saw in his dreams weeks ago. It had to be it. 

"Demanitus did the only thing he could do being a scientist...he brought it home with him." Ruddiger continued, "and that was the beginning of the end...Demanitus started to research it and realized it was connected to the moonstone and sun drop, but he kept it a secret to everyone but me and, eventually, Zarina." 

"What can it do?" Varian asked him curiously. 

Ruddiger frowned and shifted uncomfortably, "Um, well…"

"You don't know, do you?" Cass glared at the once raccoon, "Figures." 

"No, I just-" Ruddiger was cut off by many questions suddenly thrown at him. 

"Where can I find it?"

"Why is Varian linked to the fallen star?"

"Is this another Rapunzel and the moonstone situation?"

"if it's connected to the sun drop and moonstone, why wasn't it fused with the other two?" 

"are you working for Zhan Tiri?"

"Were you tasked to protect Varian?"

"You know I still don't trust you, right?"

"How did you become a raccoon?" at the question, all their heads turned to Calliope, who was listening with interest, "Like were you tasked by Demanitus to watch over the star or were you cursed by Zhan Tiri like the legends say?" 

Ruddiger clutched the scarf as he stared off into space, "it was because…" he took a deep breath as he suddenly felt dizzy. He grabbed his head and fell to his knees. 

"Ruddiger!" Varian shouted, coming next to him to make sure he was okay. 

"Because...of..a." Ruddiger grabbed Varian by his vest as he took another deep breath, "Because of a woman!" he exclaimed, before letting go of Varian, blacking out as a memory overtook him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliff-hanger!! What will the memory be? Why did I make it for the next chapter? Is this a devious plan or am I just lazy? 
> 
> Find out in the next Chapter! Coming Soon to the internet near you!


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 30! Can you believe we are at 30 chapters?? It's so crazy!! I really hope you enjoy this chapter and for being patient with me. 
> 
> I've been playing with all of these backstories for months and I am so happy I am finally able to share it with you. I hope you like it...but if you don't, worry not! We will get back to the main plot soon! I just needed to get all this out xD 
> 
> Thank you so much for all the support and love for this story! YOu are all amazing and I hope this story still brings you as much joy and excitement. This story changed my life and you are all played a part in that. Just, thank you. 
> 
> I hope you like it and that it all makes sense! <3

Lightning flashed followed by its constant thunderous companion seconds later. The sky was completely black. Not even the moon broke through with any light. 

It reflected how he felt. 

All the light of hope was drowned by darkness, and each boom of thunder echoed the pounding of his aching heart. 

His hand pressed on his chest above his heart as he felt another pang, but he pushed on and kept running through the dark until he made it to the familiar house that he once called home. He took a deep breath and pressed on the make-shift bandage on his arm to keep it firmly in place. 

He stumbled on the stone path before finally making it to the door and gave it a quiet knock. He knew Demanitus was there. Despite parting ways, they still kept in contact with each other’s whereabouts in case of emergency. And he was pretty sure his arm bleeding out would be ranked as an emergency. 

He knocked again, more urgent as his head started to spin, and he could feel the scarlet drip down his arm under his father’s jacket. 

Scarlet just like her.

He felt wet slip down his cheeks, and he realized he was crying. But what pain were the tears from? Physical or psychological? He couldn’t tell the difference anymore. 

He knocked one more time when at last, the familiar face of the only person he could trust stared down at his broken form. Without a word, Demanitus wrapped an arm under his good arm and led him inside. 

Neither spoke as Demanitus inspected the wound. He turned his eyes away to not look at the blood he knew was pouring from his arm. 

He was a bit ishemophobic. One tiny drop, and he would lose all contents in his stomach. Though he was sure, the nausea he was feeling now was unrelated. 

He still couldn’t wrap his head around all of this…

Demanitus was right…

His sister…

And then Demanitus’ pupils…

Corona...

His little apple...

He closed his eyes as he felt a sting from the potion Demanitus poured on his arm and hissed as he felt the skin stitch itself together. 

It was all that stupid Metorite’s fault. Or the “Fallen Star,” as Demanitus called it. 

He became obsessed with it, and the obsession rubbed off on him. He ended up neglecting one of the only things he truly cared about. Maybe if he had stayed...if he told her the truth... perhaps things would have been different. 

‘It was just paranoia,’ he had told himself when Demanitus insisted it wasn’t safe to share his findings on the rock with his sister or Pom. 

But then it worked...everything Demanitus had hoped and longed for came true. The Fallen Star healed Zarina. 

But then Demanitus was even more paranoid, fearing what Zhan Teri would do if she saw their daughter. 

‘What if she hurt her?’ He asked him, fear and paranoia shining in his sunken eyes. Rud refused to believe that his sister was capable of hurting anyone, let alone her precious daughter, but he had to agree that he feared for her safety now that there was some magic healing dust in her. 

So when Demanitus asked him to hide her away to somewhere safe, he didn’t hesitate to do what was asked of him. 

He should have stayed. 

Just as Demanitus’ hopes came true, so did his worst fears. 

His sister, his older sister that once took care of him and saved him from the darkness after their family died, fell in the vast ocean of the dark and drowned. His sister was gone and in her place was just a shadow. A reminder of who she once was before power and obsession took over. 

And Pom...Pomellina, his little apple...he should have been there. Maybe he would understand... perhaps he could have saved the love of his life. He grabbed the necklace that hung on his neck. The only question that repeated in his head was, “Why? Why did all of this have to happen?”

He winced at the final sting in his arm before he met the eyes of his brother-in-law. He saw regret and pain reflected in the older man's eyes. He was sure he was blaming himself for what happened. Granted, it was his fault, but what was done was done. They just had to push forward despite their broken hearts. Or that's what he was trying to tell himself, but from the hurt and sadness he felt, it may be harder to follow his own advice. 

"it's not safe to keep information about the Sundrop, Moonstone, and Fallen Star so close together." Demanitus finally spoke, his voice gruff from the lack of use. "Zhan Tiri will most likely go after the former, so we must hide the star somewhere she will never learn about it." 

Rud paused and looked at Demanitus with a frown, "that seems like a lot of work.." he let out a small yawn, "Can't we take a nap first?"

Demanitus stared at the young man and shook his head, "These are serious times, not a time to joke. you more than anyone should know that." 

Rud frowned, "Humor is my coping mechanism..though I am serious about the nap thing…" he rubbed his eyes, "I just lead a rebellion with Princess Joan to take back Corona...got stabbed and then ran from the castle to here. not to mention I journeyed for days from where Zarina is, so...I think a nap is a fair request." 

"We both know that there is more coming." Demanitus pointed out, "now is not the time to put our guard down."

"But we shouldn't be exhausted either." Rud snapped right back before looking down with a sigh. 

"I have a feeling.." Demanitus looked out the window with a frown, “Something is coming...a storm.” He stood up abruptly, causing Rud to jump back in surprise. 

“Rud…” he looked at him, “We must separate again.” 

“What? Why.” he frowned, “I don’t understand...I don’t understand any of this, and frankly, I’m scared.” 

“You shouldn’t fear.” Demanitus placed his hand on Rud’s good shoulder, “We will stop Zhan Tiri.” 

“That’s not all I’m scared of.” He looked at him, “Demanitus, you’ve changed just as much as my sister...you had a long time ago, and I went along with you because I trust you...but..”

“But your questioning if your trust was placed correctly.” Demanitus let out a sigh, “and to answer you...I don’t know.”

Rud looked at Demanitus with surprise. He wasn’t used to the genius to admit he didn’t know anything. 

“It doesn’t matter.” Rud said, “What is done is done..., and Zhan Tiri is now as mad as a box of frogs.” he licked his lips and rubbed his thumb on the red apple that hung from the golden chain. 

“And Pomellina…?” Demanitus asked, seeing the pained expression on the younger man’s face. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked quietly, “I might have been prepared…”

“I didn’t know how to tell you.” Demanitus admitted, “When my pupils left...I was in shock and betrayed because none of that was in the vision I had.” 

“I guess I can’t blame you…” Rud sighed and closed his eyes as he remembered the last few days. 

\--

He had just returned from traveling. Zarina was safe with a kind family far away, she was scared, but when he showed her Mr. Whiskers and promised to visit her, she let go of his hand and went to the kind woman. 

He was hungry, and he knew Demanitus was lost without him and probably didn’t get anything food-related in the month he was gone. So he figured he’d go shopping in the kingdom before he returned home.

The streets were abandoned. Broken crates and rotten food littered the ground. He turned down the street to the center of town and was baffled by the sight. 

Red. Red drenched the streets and the buildings of the Kingdom. He felt a little queasy before realizing it was only red paint. But it still didn’t make the sight any less disturbing. 

Anywhere the Corona crest once flew or was painted doused in red paint with a new golden symbol painted over it. The symbol looked like an arrowhead with leaves sprouting from it with a loop on the bottom. It was simple, and in another kingdom, it may be a great crest, but the words underneath made him think twice. 

“A New Corona. Long Live Saporia.” 

What happened in the month he was gone?? 

He turned again when he heard a scream come from an alleyway. Without even thinking about it, he ran to the sound. He had no weapons on him, but if someone was hurt, he knew a few things that he might be able to help. 

When he got to the alley, he saw a group of men in gold and red armor advancing on an older man and a young girl, who was clutching the older man’s hand. He didn’t have to hear what the men said to know they wanted to harm the innocent people they cornered. 

Without a second thought, he ran at them, his fists flying to anything and everything he could make contact with. In the end, he had a sore fist, but both the men were out cold, and the man and child were safe. 

Before he could ask them what was going on, they just averted their gaze and hurried away. What was going on???

“You’re welcome,” he mumbled before he was stopped in his tracks by a hooded figure. He let out a groan and held his fists up again defensively. 

The figure walked into the light, and he immediately knew who it was. How could he not? Her clothes, though worn, were made of expensive fabrics and dyed in deep purples. She held a knife in one hand and had the other resting on her hip next to a belt that had the true crest of Corona. 

“Princess!” He gasped and bowed before her. He’s only met her a few times when Demanitus came to the castle, but he heard stories from Pom about her. 

“Rud Tiri.” Joan, the Princess of Corona, said as she walked over to him, “I am happy to see you.” 

He lifted his head and met her kind green eyes, “Princess, what is going on?” 

Joan turned her head and played with a strand of her chocolate hair with a frown, “A powerful Warlock came and put a powerful curse on the Kingdom. Snow poured for days and days and nearly destroyed the kingdom...if it were not for Demanitus, Corona would have been in ruins.” 

She sheathed her knife and walked over to the end of the alley to check the coast was clear before gesturing for him to follow as she continued her story. 

“It turned out to be a ploy, a ruse, to get my father and me out of the castle for a false queen to take residence there.” she clenched her fist and closed her eyes, “My father is dead...the kingdom in now mine...and I will fight to get it back.” 

“Will you help us?” She looked at Rud with eyes full of hope that resembled her cousin so much that I made his heart hurt. He missed Pom, he had only just proposed before Demanitus sent him away, and he wanted nothing more than to get home and finally give himself to her as her husband. He could stop being Demanitus’ assistant and help with the orchard...he was so close to happiness it caused his heart to swell. 

He felt his stomach growl, and he was reminded why he went to the kingdom in the first place, but he supposed he could help out a little. He already made a detour. 

He offered the girl a smile and nodded, which caused her to break out in a grin and hug the man in thanks. He looked at the girl and couldn’t help but feel like the Princess wasn't telling him something. But he just shrugged it off as she led him to a small blacksmith where she and her loyal followers were hidden, making a plan to take back the castle. Maybe they had food?

\---

“Rud.” He heard and then felt Demanitus shake him awake, causing him to let out an annoyed sigh, but rubbed his eyes and looked up at his friend. 

“Rud, I want you to take this.” He handed him a scroll. Rud looked at it in confusion and opened it to see it was blank. He looked up at Demanitus questioningly, “It’s a map.” he explained, “Or will be….this scroll is enchanted. To protect my work, I will have to hide this house and everything that has to do with the Fallen Star. Once the house is hidden, it will appear on this map...and you will be the only one who will be able to find it.”

“Me?” Rud stared at Demanitus in shock.

“You are my most trusted friend and my family.” Demanitus said quietly, “And I can not trust myself around it any longer...look what my obsession caused.” he gestured around them, “I am to blame for all of this...and so I don’t want it to ever fall into the wrong hands again.” 

“I will guard it with my life,” he promised, clutching the scroll to his chest. 

“I’m not well versed in magic...that was always Zhan’s expertise…” he ran a hand through his thinned hair, “So this might take a while...so that is why I ask one more favor from you.” 

Rud looked at him again. The confusion was a constant but not new look on his face. He knew from his lack of sleep he had dark bags under his eyes, so he probably resembled the Raccoon boy Pom always affectionately called him. He closed his eyes again as he felt the pang in his heart once more. 

He took another breath and looked back at Demanitus, “Whatever you need.”

“I’m sorry.” he said, looking at his young friend with sympathy, “But you must face her again….I need you to buy me time to get this spell right.” 

Rud took a sharp intake of breath and clenched and unclenched his fists. He licked his lips before nodding, “alright...only if I can eat first.” 

\--

He knew she would be there. He knew her, or at least he used to. He let out a sigh as he fidgeted with his torn jacket. He would have to fix that. He wondered if he had time to grab his sewing kit while he waited? It really wouldn’t take that much time to fix. 

As if reading his wandering mind, he spotted red in the corner of his eyes, and everything from earlier that night came crashing down on him. 

\--

His heart pounded in his chest as he was forced to his knees on the cobblestone floors of the newly built castle. His sword was forcefully taken from him as he and the rightful heir of Corona were captured. 

A vibrant red fabric covered up the once purple and gold tapestries with the same emblem stitched into it with golden thread. A new symbol for a new Corona. His heart squeezed in his chest as he glared heatedly at the ones he once considered friends, but he should have been used to it by now. 

He felt numb and angry. Angry at the Princess for deceiving him. Angry at Zhan Tiri for all the evil she had done. Angry at Demanitus for beginning the dark path for his sister. But he was mostly angry with himself for not being here to try and prevent it all. 

His grey eyes were like steel as he met the gaze of all of Demanitus’ former pupils. 

First, Sugracha, the oldest of the pupils. She should have known better. I should have known the value of loyalty. 

Then they flickered to Tromus, and the man didn’t even flinch. He just stared right back with a hint of arrogance in them. 

And lastly, they met the eyes of the youngest and the last to join as a pupil of Demanitus. She was young, younger than him even, but she was bright. Her eyes held intelligence that was missing from the others. He always liked Gothel. She was a good friend to Pom and would stay to help him with his chores. He looked at her pleadingly, but she just turned her head away from him. He thought he saw guilt pass over her face before it was blank once more.

Who was this Queen that took the Throne? He swallowed hard, and his hand twitched, was it, Zhan? Was his sister capable of killing the king and taking the throne for herself? Everyone believed the storm was the doings of a warlock. No one knew it was his sister...no one, but Demanitus, who built a device to reverse the storm, and the vengeful princess. He glanced at the princess and then a thought struck him. 

Demanitus had four pupils...where was…? 

He took a shaky breath and closed his eyes. He prayed that she was somewhere safe. Maybe she was with her family in the storm cellar? Maybe Demanitus reached her and got her to safety. He didn’t know what he would do if he lost her too. 

He heard the clicking of heels against the stone floor, only for it to stop abruptly as if in shock. 

He opened his eyes and lifted his head only to see the widened eyes of his beloved staring back at him. 

They stared at one another for what felt like hours before realization hit, like the time he fell through the ice-covered pond behind his parent’s farm. He had to force himself to breathe because all senses left him. He shook, and the queasy feeling returned all at once. 

Pomellina...she was the queen. She took the throne...but how? Why? 

He looked up at her, but she refused to meet his gaze. She looked at her cousin with more hatred than he had ever seen come from her. What happened to her? 

The new queen let out a humorless laugh and spun in front of the princess, gesturing to her red dress, “What do you think? I always thought red suits me.” 

“That is my mother’s dress,” Joan said, venom laced in her voice. 

Pom touched the tiara that was twisted in her hair, “These are her jewels too.” she smiled sweetly, her nose scrunching before her hand went to the familiar golden chain still hanging from her neck, “Well, most of them.” she mumbled, her eyes flickering to his for a moment. 

That had to be a sign! She was still in there! She was still his Pom! This had to be a trick o-or something! His head hurt so much from how confused and overwhelmed he was. What was going on??

“They are rightfully mine, after all.” Pom looked at her cousin once more, “Isn’t that right?” 

“Your father gave up the throne.” Joan spat, “Your claim is not valid.” 

“Even if it wasn't, it is now.” Pom closed her eyes and mumbled under her breath, her fingers wigglings and golden chains appeared on the princess, “Now there is no escape this time, Cousin.” 

“That’s not possible…” Joan breathed, tugging on the very real chains.

“Zhan Tiri gave me more than just the throne.” the Queen said, “She shared her power with me...and finally I feel free.”

Her words were like knives in his already crumbling heart. He didn’t believe her. He couldn’t. 

“L-little apple?” his voice wobbled as words finally left his lips. 

Pom's head snapped to him, shock resurfacing on her features as if she forgot he was there. He felt tears build under his eyes as he gazed at this woman he couldn’t recognize. “Pomellina.” he breathed as she bent down to his level, her eyes shifting to the ones he was used to. Concern and love reflected in them as she looked him over for any injury. 

“Rud,” she whispered, her voice light and loving. She reached her hand up and stroked his face as she smiled at him, “I missed you.” 

He closed his eyes, and for a moment, they were back in the field of wildflowers, naming stars. But red flooded the memory, drenching it until the color was all he saw behind his eyes. He took a deep breath and moved his face from her touch. 

“Oh Apple…” he whispered, looking her over, “What happened to you?” 

She looked at him bewildered by his words, “Are you not pleased?” she asked, her voice having the bite to it once more, “Are you not happy you are to marry a queen?” 

“Oh, so you still want to marry me?” he asked, a huff of laughter of disbelief escaping his lips as she looked at him puzzled. She was suddenly looking like a child in her mother's makeup and jewels.

“Of course…” she held her hand up to show the golden band he gave her weeks before glistening on her finger, “You will be my king.” she grinned at him, “Isn’t it wonderful? Everything we always wanted…”

Rud paused at her words, “I didn’t want this..” he said slowly, watching as her face fell into a frown, “I wanted to be with you...that was good enough for me. That was what I always wanted since we met...I thought that was enough for you too.”

A single tear trailed down her cheek, and her gaze went to the floor, “Pomellina...come home with me. Give the Kingdom back to Joan, Marry me, and we can leave Corona. Start fresh.” 

Pom closed her eyes as she tried to regain her composure. She took a deep breath before wiping her eyes with a handkerchief.

“All my life…” Pom began, taking a step towards a portrait of a former king and his two sons, her father, “my mother has complained that my father gave up the throne to be a farmer.” she spat, “Gave up a crown for apples…” 

“I know…” Rud licked his lips. He used to hold Pom as she cried after the harsh words her mother would tell her. She wanted Pom to be the princess and was bitter about her husband renouncing the throne. She wanted Pom to marry royalty or someone from the King's court. She never liked him, and she would voice the dislike every time he saw her. However, she was one of the best cooks in Corona, so he endured her disapproval just to have a slice of her apple pie.  
Her father loved him, so he gave his blessing right away when the time came to propose. He even chipped in to help him give her a proper ring. She probably didn’t realize that or realize how much her father adored her. She always tried to win her mother’s approval, but she was blind to what she had. 

“My whole life…” she turned to look at the two on their knees with angry tears escaping her eyes, “I had to come here and see the gold and silks and be left with longing...I wanted it. I needed it.” she looked at Joan, “You were gluttonous with wealth, while our village was in poverty. We were starving while you had gold embroidered in your new fancy dress.” 

“We had simple lives…” Rud agreed, frowning, “but we got by. Nothing wrong with it.” 

“Oh, Rud…” Pom sighed and turned to look at him, “Sometimes I forget you’re younger than me.” 

“Age has nothing to do with this.” He licked his lips again and shifted into a standing position, causing the guards behind him to place a hand on his shoulder to stop him, “I know how I feel...and if you feel it too, you know I’m right.” he looked up at her pleadingly, “Our love is all we need to survive... Who cares about anything else?” 

Pom looked down and refused to look at him as he spoke. She was taking shaky breaths. He had her. He just had to reel her back in, and maybe he could have his Pom back--

“Tell him what you did.” Joan suddenly cut in. Her voice was icy and bounced against the stone walls. “Tell him how you got that crown on your head.” She pulled on her chains as her voice grew louder, “Tell him!!!” 

Rud looked at the princess and then the queen when it hit him. The Queen that took the throne killed the king. Pom killed the king...she killed…

Rud stopped struggling against the grasp of the guards and sat in pure shock. Maybe he didn’t know her after all. 

Pom tried to meet his eyes, her gaze pleading, but he couldn't focus on anything. The last piece of his heart cracked, and he was nothing but hollow. He couldn’t feel anything, just the betrayal and hurt. She murdered her uncle. Pomellina was a murderer. She was a killer. 

She leaned close to him and placed her hand under his chin so he could meet her eyes, but he refused. In a burst of anger, he reached out and grasped the golden chain around her neck and pulled it until it broke free, causing Pom to stumble back in shock, her hand going to her now bare neck, her eyes full of hurt and tears.

At that, the rescue party came rushing in and started to fight the guards. His sword was once again in his hand, and he swung it against men in gold and red, but everything was a blur. 

He turned his head and met the brown eyes of the woman he once loved. He heard someone scream as a knife pierced through his arm and saw her lips were moving. He turned his head and met the gray eyes of Gothel. Her eyes were wide in shock. She dropped the knife and brought her hands to her mouth, and immediately surrendered. 

That was when the pain hit. He looked down at the wound, and the world turned black. 

\---

They had won. They overpowered the Saporian supporters, and Joan took the kingdom back. 

The queen, along with Zhan Tiri’s disciples, managed to escape. He had a feeling he knew who was behind the sudden and surprising escape. And he felt his nerves flare as the red dress was visible in front of him. 

“Rud.” She whispered, staring at the man who was waiting for her. She approached him slowly as if he was a wild animal. Her eyes flickered to his torn jacket and the bloodied bandage, and she paled. 

“Are you okay?” She asked, rushing towards him, only to stop when he took a step away from her. “Rud, please,” she whispered. 

He shook his head and stared at the ground, trying to swallow the lump in his throat, “Why?” he asked softly, “It’s not like you care…” 

“Of course I care!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air as she starts to pace hysterically, “I love you!” she looked at him, “Don’t you see? I did all of this for you! For us!” She stopped and looked at him, “You lost so much...and you deserve everything in the world.” 

“No.” Rud spoke, his voice firm, as he gazed at her as if he was seeing her for the first time, “You did this because you are selfish. You committed treason!” he ran his hands through his hair, “You should be locked up and have the key thrown away for what you did.” he spat at her. 

“Rud…” she whispered, as realization dawned on her of how far she went to get what she wanted. She looked down at herself and blinked, looking as if she was waking from a dream. 

“I agree with you, dear brother.” a new voice said from behind him, causing his skin to crawl. He hadn't had the pleasure of seeing his sister since his return, but what he saw caused him to stand still. 

His sister always had unique features. Her hair was a pretty lavender, and her eyes were a deep purplish-blue painted on a peach canvas, but all the bright color was sucked out of her. Not even a flicker of blue remained in her eyes. All that stared at him was the unnatural purple. Her skin was as white as the snow that she caused to fall. She looked like a skeleton with skin. 

Behind her, three disciples stepped out of the shadows. He was surrounded, with no way of escape. 

“She does deserve to be locked away.” Zhan Tiri said, stepping close to him, circling them both before stopping next to his ear, “What she did was inexcusable...imagine how her poor cousin must feel...nothing is worse than being betrayed by family.” 

Rud stopped, and everything made sense. He turned his head to look at her, and he saw the pain and hurt in the eyes of his sister. She knew. She knew what he did. He licked his lips and looked down in guilt. 

“She was only a child..an innocent, and you helped him kill her,” she whispered harshly, causing Rud to lift his head in surprise. Or maybe not. 

She turned to look at Pom and smiled at her, “You had so much potential, my dear.” she sighed, “Shame you have no farther use for me.” 

“What do you mean?” Pom frowned and looked at her, “You said--” 

“I know what I said, my dear.” she took her hand, “I said it so you could help me find the Great Tree and to help fulfill my plan...but your part is finished.” she let go of her hand and turned away from her. 

“Thanks to you, there is a new enemy to Corona. A rival that will survive as long as Corona does and will always find a way to come back.” she smiled, “Just like I always will come back.” she grinned, her mouth stretching across her face in pure deranged glee. 

“I was never to stay queen…” Pom realized, taking a step back, horror flashing on her face, before looking at Rud pleadingly, “I didn’t know! Rud, please believe me...she used me, manipulated me!” 

Rud closed his eyes and turned his head away from her. He couldn’t take much more of this, and all he wanted to do was run away and hide. Maybe this was all a dream, and he and Pom just fell asleep under an apple tree. It was just a nightmare. 

“Oh sweetie,” Zhan Tiri clicked her tongue against her teeth, “You know when you fish, you always need bait, and you were the perfect little pink worm.” 

The older woman wrapped her arm around Rud’s shoulders and gripped his chin so he could look at Pom. “look at her...so pathetic..wrapped in red as if she is proud of the blood she shed.” 

Rud blinked back tears as he was forced to look at the pleading gaze of Pom. 

“You know...Rud sounds a lot like Red...funny.” Zhan laughed and set her head on his shoulder as she looked at Pom, “Do you still think she should be trapped for what she did?” She looked at her brother before nodding her head before he could even attempt to say anything, “Yes, I agree.” 

She pulled away from Rud and looked at Pomellina, “Every fish should be afraid of a worm on a hook because in the end?” she flickered her gaze back to Rud with a wicked grin, “They get eaten.” With that, she waved her hand at Pomelina, and the ground started to climb up her legs and the skirt of her dress. 

“Rud!” Pomellina screamed, her hand reaching for him, but Rud couldn’t do anything but stay rooted in place. It was almost as if he was turning to stone as well. 

Finally, the spell over him was broken, and he ran towards her, his hand out, “Pomellina!” He shouted, but it was too late. 

He fell to his knees, and sobs ripped from his throat. He cried for everything he lost, and he felt the darkness creep towards his heart. Guilt strangled him with the sobs he choked out.

He turned his head and was met with the face of his sister. A cruel joy in her gaze as she watched him. “Embrace it, brother..it’s the only way to deal with the pain.” 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She was right. It would make it so much easier…

He felt something bright shine on his closed eyes, causing him to quickly open them. And there, in the pitch-black sky, was a single sparkling star, and suddenly everything came back to him why he did what he did. What his purpose was to do now. 

Slowly he got to his feet and turned his head and watched as the house he once called home, along with the garden in the front, the stone path, and the statue of his beloved, flicker out of view. 

Demanitus did it. 

Rud let out a sigh of relief before turning his gaze back to Zhan Tiri. “Hope always finds a way to shine through despite how dark the night gets.” 

Zhan TIri shook with anger, “Where is it? Where is the house?” 

“I don’t know.” Rud grinned, “He sent it off, I know not where...and neither does he. It’s lost..”

Zhan took a deep breath before turning to her followers, and in a blink, they were gone, and Rud was all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Discord: https://discord.gg/fqVD88y


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So March 6th is the anniversary of TFFC...one whole year of writing this, can you believe it? So to celebrate, I'm going to post a chapter every day this week. 
> 
> This is for you and I hope you all enjoy what's to come!

It was a cold winter day. Snow sprinkled the ground, and icicles hung from the roof to paint a picture of a winter wonderland. Children of the village were outside, adding color to the white canvas with laughter and joy coming through. 

Once upon a time, he would have been out there with them, jumping into piles of powdered snow and sculpting different inventions that his Snowman scientist made. 

Then his mother would join him out in the freezing cold, wrapping a scarf around his neck to make sure he didn't catch a cold. She would then grab his tiny hand and help him up a hill on the edge of town, where they would slide down the slippery slope on a sled made from spare lumber pieces. 

She would wrap her arms around him tightly in a warm embrace, making sure he didn't fall off. 

After each run down the hill, she would then calculate how fast they were going and write them down in a small journal. 

As he grew older to an age of more comprehension, over a mug of hot cocoa, she showed and encouraged him to make calculations of his own. If he ever made a mistake or got the wrong answer, she would gently correct and show him once more until he got it right. 

She never judged him, never made him feel small for making mistakes. It was just the two of them, having fun in the snow and solving mathematical equations. 

But all of that was gone now.

No more hot cocoa by the fire while she read from the diaries of the great Alchemists. No more helping her make apple tarts to surprise his father when he returned from a trip to the Castle. No more laughter or music was filling the house as she taught him piano and then performed little concerts for his father. No more leaning his head against her shoulder as she stroked his hair and sang to him to cheer him up after the other kids called him 'strange' and 'dangerous.' No more gazing up at the stars and hearing about all the stories behind them. He was no longer “Stardust.” 

It was all gone. 

And now he was alone. 

Well, not alone. He still had his dad, but it wasn't the same. His dad tried, but he never understood Varian the way his mother did. He knew his dad loved him and would protect him, and he wanted him to be proud of him, but without his mom…

But he would be okay.

He was really young, but he knew how he felt. He understood science and math that not many adults could comprehend. He was fine. 

He would be fine. 

He didn't need his father hovering over his shoulder as he wandered the streets and shops of Corona. He could give Uncle Monty the correct amount of money for a lollipop, as well as Xavier for bars of aluminum for his experiments. 

Why he even walked up to a cart of prisoners and stared one straight in the eyes! He was fine! 

...but then the snow started to fall, and he suddenly longed for the warmth that only his mother's embrace could give. 

His father was upset with him for another failed experiment. But he didn't understand. He needed to do it. He needed to watch the Lithium fluoride dissolve into the water and then watch it dissolve into hexanedioic acid. 

Yes, the latter may be dangerous, but what is science without risk? He might not know much about those compounds yet, but how was he supposed to know without experimenting to acquire data? Besides, he wore an apron, gloves, and goggles. He was perfectly safe! 

His father didn't share his enthusiasm for a possible scientific breakthrough. 

He kept his head down as his father paced in front of him, running his large hands through his thinning hair. His father finished his gruff scolding by telling him that "maybe it was time to put the stuff away."

Varian's head snapped up, causing the goggles that were too big for his head to slide over his eyes. Quickly, he pushed them back up and shook his head quickly. 

How could he say that? It was his mom's!

But like most conversations with his father, his pleads and arguments bounced off deaf ears. 

No. 

How could he think that boxing up and hiding away the last connection Varian had to her would be for the best? Why did his father want to take her from him? he never talked about her anymore. All he cared about was the stupid farm! Why couldn't he see science was the thing he was good at? 

Quirin left him with a final word of “That is enough, Varian.” and stormed into his room to gain some composure. 

Varian felt the coldness of loneliness once more. He felt it creep up into his chest until it was crushing his heart and lungs. His heart hurt, and though he inhaled and exhaled, it was labored and burned. Fat, hot tears slid down his cheeks, and then he was on his feet. He grabbed his cloak and scarf before running out the door. 

It was freezing, and snow was falling, but he didn't care. He ran as fast as his small legs could take him. 

He ignored the children who laughed as he passed; he ignored the grown-ups who asked if his father knew he was out there. He ignored it all. He just needed to find the warmth that only his mother could bring him. He needed her. 

He ran until he was at the edge of the village and stared up at the hill he and his mother would sled down every year. 

He never scaled the snowy, icy hill by himself before, but that wouldn't stop him. He needed to do this. He was fine; he didn't need anyone to hold his hand. 

It took all the strength he had to reach the top, but he did it. He fell, slipped, and scraped his knees, but he succeeded. He made it to the top of the hill. 

He let out a "whoop!" in celebration and wanted to turn to his mother to see her proud smile, but all that was next to him was the falling snow. He let out a sigh and was about to sit down when a heavy gust of wind blew at him, causing him to lose his footing and slid down headfirst down the back of the hill. 

He screamed and cried for his mother, for his father, but no one came to his aid. 

Finally, his ice accelerated ride came to a stop when his head met with the trunk of a tree. Then it was all black. 

\---

When he came to, the first thing he noticed was that he could barely move his fingers from how cold they were. He was freezing all over. Even his eyelids wanted to stay shut, but he forced them open. 

He blinked a few times as the white snow blinded him, but then a sudden warmth consumed his chest. He turned his head, and there sitting on his chest was a fluffy, gray raccoon. 

He blinked a few times, but the curious gray gaze of the raccoon just stared right back at him. He half wondered if this was a dream. Sure, there were many wildlife in these parts, lots of raccoons, but never any this friendly. 

He stayed still as the raccoon sniffed him and then seemed to pause at seeing the blue streak in his hair. The raccoon's eyes widened, and it scampered off of him, causing the cold to replace the warmth on his chest. 

He wanted to call out for him, he wanted the Procyon lotor to come back, but he couldn't find the energy even to let out a whimper, let alone call to it. 

He watched as the raccoon ran up the hill he had just slid down. He was suddenly envious of the raccoon and its abilities to climb and run up the snowy environment. 

His eyes remained on the figure on the hill until it disappeared in the darkening sky. 

He shivered and curled into himself to try and embrace the warmth. He didn't know how long he was out there, but he was sure any longer, and he would be like liquid nitrogen. 

His eyes grew heavy, and for a moment, he thought he saw the glimpse of warm blue eyes and a gentle smile. She was singing softly to him just like she used to, with her hand stretched out to him. He wanted to take it. he wanted to be with her. He needed her. 

Just as his hand was about to brush hers, the warmth returned on his chest, followed by a warmth all over his body. 

He heard his name, but he couldn't seem to focus. All he knew is that he wanted her to return. He kept his arm outstretched, but she was gone. The only thing remaining was her soft voice singing softly in his mind. 

\---

He woke to warmth. In fact, it almost felt too warm. Slowly, he shifted, trying to get some of the heavy covers off, but found he was trapped by the big blanket thrown over his small, weak body.

He let out a small groan, opening his eyes, and was once again met with the worried gaze of the raccoon curled up on his chest. 

He let out a surprised gasp and shifted back some, but the raccoon stayed where it was curled up in the blanket that laid on top of him. He licked his lips and took a deep breath before he became aware of the warm weight on his hand. 

He turned his head and saw his father was grasping it tightly, his head pressed against it.

It was the second time he ever saw his father cry. 

He suddenly felt his heart warm towards his dad but also felt a pang of guilt. He made his father cry, he realized. He made a vow to himself right then never to do that ever again. No matter what, he will never be the cause of his strong father breaking down in tears.

The silence was broken by a heavy cough that lit his lungs on fire. Quickly. Quirin's head popped up in surprise. 

"Varian, you're awake." He sighed in relief before it twisted into concern. 

He couldn't stop coughing. He would cough and cough. He couldn't seem to catch his breath. He felt water fill his eyes as he tried to breathe, but no air went past his lips. 

Quirin helped him sit up and rubbed his back gently, pressing a cold glass of water to his lips. He drank it slowly until the coughing lessened to a mere clearing of the throat. 

His father ran his hand through his hair gently, his arms wrapped around him. "Oh, Varian," he whispered. 

Varian couldn't say anything, but his arms remained locked around his father's large neck, returning the comfort. There was so much he wanted to say, but words were useless at that moment. 

For the first time in a long time, he felt at home, wrapped in his father's embrace. 

He made a second vow to himself. He will do whatever it takes to make his father proud of him. He will prove that he could be trusted, and his father will never have to worry again. 

After a few minutes of being locked in the warmth of the other, Quirin let go of Varian and told him he was going to get the doctor to take a look over him now that he was awake. 

He turned his head to the half-asleep Raccoon on his chest and let out a breathy chuckle that ended up in another coughing fit. 

The raccoon stood up quickly, staring at the child with its head tilted, but Varian just waved his hand and took a sip of the water left on his nightstand. 

He looked back at the raccoon and smiled, "You went and got him for me, didn't you?" he stated, looking at the raccoon with big eyes. 

The animal nodded its head as if to say “yes.”

"Thank you," Varian whispered, raising his hand to pet the soft fur of the raccoon. 

He smiled as the raccoon pushed its head into the palm of his hand, letting out a chattery purr. 

"would you like to stay with me?" he asked the raccoon softly, "You will be nice and warm, away from the snow, and have plenty of food, wouldn't you like that?" 

The Raccoon nodded his head quickly and then pointed to itself and tilted his head. 

"Do you have a name?" Varian asked, curious. 

The raccoon nodded again before jumping over to his bookshelf. He watched as the mammal scanned the shelf before pointing at the spine of a book called "Rudimentary Science." He tapped at "Rudimentary" until Varian finally understood. 

"Rudimentary…" he mumbled, "Rudiment...Rudi…" He watched as the raccoon shook its head, "Ruddiger?" 

The raccoon shook its head again only to stop and tapped its paw against its chin. He looked at Varian and nodded, causing the child to smile wide. 

"Come here, Ruddiger." he patted on his bed, causing the raccoon to hurry over and curl up under his arm. 

Once both were warm and snuggled in, both their eyes started to grow heavy. Both knew things were different, but they felt safe for the first time in a long time.

"Thank you, Ruddiger," Varian whispered before sleep overtook him.


End file.
